"One-stop shop" website for Southwest fire dangers

CREATED Mar. 15, 2013

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Web Producer: Simone Del Rosario

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KGUN9-TV) – A new website that communicates all fire restriction and closure information across the Southwest launched Friday: http://firerestrictions.us.  

It will serve as a “one-stop shop” to be used by all local, state and federal land management agencies across Arizona, New Mexico, West Texas and the Oklahoma Panhandle.

The website will include a dynamic Google-based map, where residents and visitors can find restrictions and closures near them by clicking on the county or management unit, like a forest or park. It will also list that information in text, linking to specific agency information.

The Southwest Coordinating Group encourages users to verify information found on the map with the text, or by calling the agency or tribe that manages the area they wish to visit. It will not replace existing sites or hotlines, but rather act as a supplement.

Though the website is not in real-time, SCG said it will work to provide accurate, up-to-date information.

According to SCG, the purpose of restrictions and closures are to reduce the risk of human-caused fires during unusually high fire-danger conditions. Weather, recent fire starts, and availability of firefighting resources also play a key role in determining if any restrictions or closures are necessary.