Pitkin County dropping all fire restrictions starting Friday

Starting Friday, Pitkin County is pulling back all its fire restrictions, Sheriff Joe DiSalvo announced Tuesday after meeting with local fire chiefs.

Stage 1 fire restrictions for all lands in the county will be rescind as of Friday at 12 a.m., Pitkin County said in a news release.

“Although we are coming out of fire restrictions, I’m asking all Pitkin County residents and visitors to remember that fire season is far from over. Everyone should remain vigilant, adhere to fire safety rules, and report all smoke and fire to 911 immediately,” DiSalvo said in the news release. “The National Weather Service forecast calls for a drying trend in mid-August. We will continue to monitor the ERC and weather data weekly and make adjustments as warranted.”

The Energy Release Component (ERC) is a measurement used to determine when fire restrictions are implemented. Those ERC values exceeded the upper threshold for much of June, leading DiSalvo to implement Stage 1 restrictions on June 16. They were elevated to Stage 2 on June 23, but lowered to Stage 1 July 9.

Stage 1 fire restrictions will also end in the White River National Forest and some surrounding counties, said Aspen Fire Chief Rick Balentine and Pitkin County Emergency Manager Valerie MacDonald.

With a prolonged period of moderate rain and cooler daytime temperatures recently, countywide ERC values have dipped below threshold limits, according to the news release.

Fire and emergency officials in the Roaring Fork Valley meet every Tuesday during the wildfire season to assess conditions.

Stage 1 fire restrictions will also end in the White River National Forest and some surrounding counties, said Aspen Fire Chief Rick Balentine and Pitkin County Emergency Manager Valerie MacDonald.

This is a developing story that will be updated.