Tribune Editorial: In the summer, fire and other hazards get worse.

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Summertime, and the living is easy.

Unless you start a huge range fire with a weed torch.

Burn down a neighbor's house with stray fireworks.

Cause a nasty accident by driving too fast, without a seat belt, while texting, after drinking too much.

Leave a child or a pet in a super-heated locked automobile.

Or turn away for just a minute and risk losing a child to drowning.

The heat of summer should be Nature's way of telling us to slow down. Not to stop thinking altogether.

Certainly, the poor schlub who was trying to get rid of some weeds by setting them on fire never meant to touch off the inferno now known as the Brian Head fire which, as of Thursday, had spread over 11,000 acres in Iron and Garfield counties. That's twice as much area as it covered only the day before.

But that's just the kind of thing that can all too easily happen when someone plays with fire in the tinder-dry conditions of Utah in the summer.

State officials say they are looking into the possibility of filing criminal charges against the man who set it off. But, even if such charges are justified and filed, there's no chance that one person might be able to reimburse the taxpayers for the cost of the 500 firefighters, 27 fire engines and nine helicopters that, so far, had been tasked with containing the blaze.

Gov. Gary Herbert says he and other state and local officials are keeping an eye on things and are prepared to issue fire and fireworks bans as conditions dictate. He noted that at least half of such fires are caused by human activity and urged everyone to be mindful of such things as fires, fireworks, target shooting and other things that can introduce even the smallest spark to dry turf.

A big part of the problem this year, and every year, is the unfortunate coincidence of the American Declaration of Independence and the arrival of LDS pilgrims in the Salt Lake Valley both happening in July. Which means that the normal habit of expressing patriotic feelings by exploding smallish bits of gunpowder is expressed at the worst possible time of year.

Bans or no bans, people need to be more careful.

Just as Smoky Bear always sort of said, Only you can prevent stupid fires.