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Board imposes limited outdoor-fire and fireworks ban for Hualapai Mountain area
Summary
The board approved a proclamation imposing outdoor-fire and consumer-fireworks restrictions for Fire Zones 3 and 4 around the Hualapai (Wallapai) Mountain range, citing low fuel moisture, low snowpack and regional wildfire risk.
The Mohave County Board of Supervisors on April 21 adopted a proclamation implementing an outdoor-fire and permissible consumer-fireworks restriction effective April 22 for county-unincorporated areas in the Hualapai (Wallapai) Mountain range corresponding to Fire Zones 3 and 4.
Why it matters: Low fuel moisture, reduced snowpack and localized low water-table observations prompted county emergency-management and fire officials to recommend a temporary ban to reduce ignition risk in a high-elevation, fuel-rich area with substantial private-lands exposure.
Scope and legal basis: Staff said the proclamation applies to unincorporated county lands in the mapped Fire Zones 3 and 4 within the Wallapai Mountain area and does not change federal, state or tribal closures on those agencies'lands. The board cited Arizona Revised Statute section 26-311 and Mohave County Ordinance 2013-04 as the legal bases for imposing the temporary restriction.
Supporting information and interagency coordination: County staff reported that Arizona State Forestry, BLM and local fire districts supported the measure, that some wells and water supplies in the area were reporting low levels, and that similar conditions had prompted stage-1 restrictions in other parts of the state. Fire managers noted seasonal storms provided limited, short-lived moisture but did not materially reduce the region's fire potential. County staff said the board would revisit restrictions if conditions changed.
Board action: The board voted to adopt the proclamation and make it effective at 8 a.m. April 22; staff said they would monitor conditions and return if the ban should be extended, narrowed or lifted.
