On Monday, the city implemented its Orange Fire Restrictions in designated hazardous areas throughout the city.

According to a press release about the orange restrictions, these hazard areas include:

• “All areas east of Harrison Boulevard from the south city boundary north to 2nd Street, then west along 2nd Street to Monroe Boulevard, and north along Monroe Boulevard to the Ogden City boundary.
• River corridors, trails, canyons, washes, ravines, and areas within 200 feet of these features.
• Wildland urban interface areas, open fields, vacant lots, dry grass-covered areas, brush-covered hillsides, and wooded areas throughout the city.
• The Ogden and Weber River Parkway corridors, Fort Buenaventura, the City Baseball and Dog Park area, and the former landfill property near Fort Buenaventura.”

In these areas, the following items are prohibited:

• “All fireworks
• Open flames, including wood-burning fire pits and outdoor fireplaces
• Any ignition source that is not in a landscaped area, continuously attended, and equipped with a means of extinguishment”

Meanwhile, the following are still allowed, regardless of where in town somebody is:

• “Gas fire pits and grills with flame-control features
• Charcoal grills with lids using commercial charcoal
• Smokers with lids and no ember exhaust powered by gas, electricity, or commercial pellets”

Image supplied, Ogden City

It is recommended that anyone utilizing these items has an extinguishing source nearby such as a garden hose or fire extinguisher.

Ogden Deputy Fire Chief Matthew Hess told the Standard-Examiner on Tuesday that the restrictions aren’t new, but the speed with which they were needed was.

“It’s just unusual for us to enter an orange restriction this early on in the season,” he said. “The biggest contributor to that is just the low relative humidity levels that we’re experiencing right now. Temperatures have been fairly moderate — we haven’t seen anything too extreme as far as heat goes. That weighs in a little bit, but not near as much as how much moisture is in the soil and vegetation growth.”

With firework sales set to begin Wednesday and conditions statewide similar to Ogden’s, Gov. Spencer Cox told media, as reported by KUTV, that he feels fireworks should be left to the professionals in 2026.

“I don’t have the authority to ban fireworks in the state but we will be working with municipalities that do, talking to legislatures,” he said Tuesday. “What I can tell you is this is not the year for fireworks — let’s let the professionals do that. We’re going to do everything within our power to make sure there’s less fireworks.”

However, Hess noted that municipalities such as Ogden also lack this authority as well.

Per state code, we are unable as a municipality or a city to absolutely eliminate the firing off of fireworks within our city, or the sales of it,” he said. “They’re protected and the only way that could ever be changed is to go through legislation, be passed and voted upon.”

He said the city is able to earmark areas that are seen as especially sensitive to fire and impose restrictions there.

Hess said fire officials are confident that they have marked off the correct areas and that fireworks use will largely be safe within the city limits this year.

“We feel that the potential for extreme risk and extreme fire growth and spread is low,” he said. “That’s why those restrictions aren’t imposed on any other areas.”

He said that compliance patrols will be done by the Ogden City Fire Department and Ogden City Police Department in areas where fireworks are restricted.