by TOOELE COUNTY, Utah ( ABC4 ) — Officials are asking Utahns to take caution while target shooting on public lands after several wildfires over the last few weeks have burned on public lands.
The Tooele County Sheriff’s Office, Tooele County Fire Warden, Bureau of Land Management Utah State Office and North Tooele Fire District met together in the grassy hills of Tooele County to discuss target shooting.
Jennifer Hansen with the BLM Utah State Office, West Desert District, explained restrictions that are being placed on the West Desert District in order to prevent wildfires.
“The West Desert District has signed a fire prevention order that restricts certain recreational activities that could spark a wildfire. The five things that are restricted in the West Desert District — which is most of Northern Utah — any ammunition that has steel in it, and also steel targets, sky lanterns, or any kind of floating, burning apparatus, and spark arrestors [are required],” Hansen explained.
Alongside these guidelines, Sgt. Nicholas Yale with the Tooele County Sheriff’s Office clarified that the use of exploding targets is always against Tooele County ordinances. Anyone who uses exploding targets can be charged with a Class B Misdemeanor.
“We don’t want to see any target shooting wildfires started this year, we’ve already had three,” Yale stated.
He stated that in the event a wildfire is started, call 911 immediately and let responders know. Yale said that it’s important to recognize that projectiles can easily cause sparks or fires, and it’s important to be prepared in case one starts.
“When a projectile comes out of a firearm, it’s at super-fast speed… when it does impact something, it does cause a lot of friction that can cause sparks or be extremely hot… and it does start wildfires,” Sgt. Yale explained.
The Tooele County Fire Warden, Dan Walton, said that the location where officials met to speak about wildfire danger was significant. On July 4, 2024, a fire broke out on the hill due to target shooting after a recreationist shot an exploding target. The West Oquirrh Fire was started in that same area in October 2024, also by an exploding target.
“We chose this particular spot because right behind us here, this hillside, last year on the Fourth of July, was lit on fire by an exploding target. An individual using Tannerite just looking to have a little bit of fun for the day didn’t realize the volatility of exploding targets when being used in an area of dry vegetation,” Walton said.
Over the last weekend, Walton investigated three fires started by ammunition, one of which was in Tooele County, while the other two were in Utah County. He clarified that it’s not only exploding targets that spark wildfires, as two of the fires were caused by steel targets: one burned 80 acres, the other just over 30 acres. Any component using steel can raise wildfire risk.
“Double-check your ammunition before you start shooting. If you put it up to a magnet and it sticks, then it has got a steel component… using that kind of ammunition in an area of dry grass is very likely to start a wildfire,” Walton explained.
Agencies are discussing more fire restrictions that could go into place before July 4, according to Walton. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s possible that restrictions on steel ammunition and stricter restrictions on fireworks will be put in place.
“This past weekend were on a fire that was caused by target shooting. Thankfully, we were able to get it out; it could have turned into a much bigger problem,” Joie Mannino, a seasonal wildland firefighter with the North Tooele Fire District, shared. It’s her first year as a firefighter, and she has fought five fires in two months, three of which were caused by target shooting.
Trever Whiting, Tooele County Assistant Fire Warden, showed off a few examples of dangerous targets that could cause — and in some cases, did cause — wildfires.
“This target was one that started an 82-acre fire just this weekend… the ammo hit it, it split into three fragments, and one of those fragments landed right in some grass and started the fire,” Whiting explained.
Whiting also held up a clay pigeon, explaining that while the target itself was safe and biodegradable, it sparked a wildfire because of the steel holder that it was mounted on. Fire Warden Walton explained that even paper targets can cause fires if they are placed somewhere that a bullet might cause sparks.
“Make sure you’re aware of what’s holding your targets… It’s not every single bullet or every single time that will start a fire, it just takes one time to do it,” Whiting stated.
Several officials, including Whiting, stressed that when you are out shooting, take a shovel, water bucket, fire extinguisher and any other fire-prevention or dousing equipment that you might need. Even when prepared, Whiting stressed that fires can spread quickly, and recreationists should call the authorities if a wildfire starts.
“They’ve done it time and time and time again, and there hasn’t been an accident. And a lot of these fires, they’re not intentional, and we understand that, and we want to help the public to use public lands but to use them responsibly,” Hansen stated, stressing the importance of following these safety regulations even if nothing has gone wrong in the past.
Several of the officials shared that those who sparked wildfires while shooting targets were surprised it happened. Many of them said they had shot exploding targets or used steel ammunition without issue before, but this was the first time a fire had started.
“They are caused by accident, but you don’t wanna be the reason for the accident to hurt someone,” Firefighter Mannino stated.
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