SALT LAKE CITY— State officials say they've already traced 19 wildfires in Utah to shooting guns, and that's with about three months left in the dry season.
State Fire Marshal Brent Halladay tells The Salt Lake Tribune (http://bit.ly/LjdPFx [2] ) dry conditions and winds this year have made it remarkably easy to spark a blaze. Exploding targets pose risks, but so do regular bullets glancing off rocks and shooting sparks into brush.
Authorities counted 24 wildfires sparked by guns last year, and 20 the year before.
But this year, the earliest gun-induced fires started in February, while they typically start showing up in May or June.
Authorities at local levels can restrict certain types of ammunition and targets for fire safety, but Utah laws limit those kinds of regulations at the state level.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com [3]
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