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Show BLM reports on 1977 'Fire Season' Southwestern Utah has come through the worst of the 1977 "fire season" with slightly more fires but fewer acres burned than last year, according to Ron Berkey, BLM Cedar City District Fire Management Officer. There were 57 actual fires reported but only 551 acres of public lands in the 5 1 million acre district were burned during April through early September of this year, as compared with 54 fires that burned 5,118 acres in 1976. The Lydias Canyon fire, started by lightning August 6, 1977, burned 832 acres, 230 of which were federal land, the remainder state and private land. Reseeding by helicopter of the burned area with brome, orchard, and intermediate wheat grasses, . yellow-blossom sweet clover, common vetch and Ladok alfalfa is scheduled for mid-September. Seed for the private land was purchased pur-chased through the ASCS cost-sharing program. The only other burn of significant size this season was the 300-acre Tabletop Mountain fire. Also lightning-caused so far as could be determined, it occurred early in July and involved both federal and state land. BLM has reseeded this burn. The 2000-acre Bald Hills burn of early September 1976 was reseeded in April of this year by children from Cedar City North, South and East, Parowan and Escalanate Valley Elementary Schools. Of this year's fires, :s? were in the Cedar City area Although some were only spot fires, the Lightning Detection System operated this summer by BLM and the Forest Service could be credited with early detection that resulted in containment and control of the fires. Cooler weather decreases the likelihood of rampant burns. Berkey said, "Fires cool down at night Actually it is the gases emitted that burn to provide the flame in the combustion process which breaks down the wood But most woods have to reach a temperature of 5.0 decrees to burn Cool nights serve as a retardant But grasses have a considerably lower burning temperature, and a we enter the hunting season. e should all keep in mind the deep-down drness resulting from the drouth and continue to use all precautions for the prevention of fires |