Camping Protocol

Unsafe Campfires Rise

By New West Editor, 8-06-11

	An abandoned campfire and tent. Photo courtesy of Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

An increase in abandoned campfires in the Rockies over recent weeks has prompted fire officials to issue a reminder: be careful in the woods this time of year, when the fire danger often is high.

In Montana, more than a dozen abandoned campfires have been discovered lately. Sixty-one percent of fires on lands managed by the state have been human-caused this summer. In the Lolo National Forest alone, firefighters have responded to 16 human-caused blazes, or 55 percent of the total fires there.

Those numbers are not unusual. Humans cause more than half the wildfires in Montana every year. Most of them are easily preventable.

Officials say first step in campfire safety is to ensure the site is legal. A ring of burned rocks does not guarantee legality.

Second, campers should ensure that the area around the campfire is free of flammable material, including overhanging branches.

Finally, it isn’t enough to simply look for smoke when the fire is abandoned. Pour water onto the ashes, stir it in, and then carefully feel for any heat in the ashes.

The rule is if it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave.

Emulate the experts: it’s the same process firefighters use to put out wildland fires.

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