A park-wide ban on open fires was put in place Thursday in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, where a number of wildfires were burning.
The ban applied to all campfires, including charcoal briquette fires. Petroleum-fueled stoves and grills may still be used in developed campgrounds, picnic areas, and in designated backcountry campsites, but the stoves must be able to be turned on and off.
Smoking is also prohibited inside the park, except within an enclosed vehicle, or stopped within a developed paved area devoid of vegetation for at least three feet. Visitors are reminded to properly extinguish all lighted smoking materials and dispose of properly. Fireworks are always prohibited within Rocky Mountain National Park.
While there were no active fires inside the park, the Alexander Mountain Fire burning near Loveland, Colorado, roughly 30 miles to the east of the national park, covered roughly 7,600 acres Thursday morning and had just 1 percent containment. The Stone Canyon Fire near Lyons, about 20 miles east of the park, was roughly 1,550 acres and 20 percent contained.
