The annual fire bans for regional parks in Maricopa County and Phoenix’s desert parks and perserves begin today, May 1.

The Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department's annual fire restrictions align with the county's air quality burn activity regulations which, when it comes to outdoor recreational fires, extends through Sept. 30 at all regional parks, according to a release.

The county ban prohibits campfires, including the shoreline at Lake Pleasant Regional Park, fire pits or charcoal grills.

Using gas/propane grills in designated areas such as semi-developed and developed camping sites is allowed, officials said.

In Phoenix parks and preserves, smoking and charcoal fires are included in the ban “due to the extreme fire danger that the combination of low humidity, increased temperatures, excessive dry vegetation and frequent high winds create each spring,” city officials said in the release.

The ban in Phoenix applies to Camelback Mountain, Deem Hills Recreation Area, Lookout Mountain, Papago Park, Phoenix Mountains Park and Recreation Area, Phoenix Mountains Preserve, Phoenix Sonoran Preserve, North Mountain Park, Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area and South Mountain Park/Preserve.

The ban does not apply to the city's “flatland parks,” officials said.

The Phoenix ban stipulates:

• Open wood and charcoal fires are prohibited.
• Propane or gas grills may be used, but only in established picnic areas.
• Smoking outside enclosed vehicles is prohibited year-round.
• Fireworks are prohibited year-round.

“Motorists traveling through or near Phoenix's desert parks and mountain preserves should use extreme care with smoking materials and dispose of those only in their vehicle's ash tray,” city officials said.

"This winter, Maricopa County received an abundance of rain, which provided us with a beautiful superbloom of wildflowers in the parks," R.J. Cardin, the county’s parks and recreation director, said.

"As the temperatures begin to rise, this vegetation is drying out and quickly becoming an ideal source for wildfire ignition." 

For more: www.maricopa.gov/parks.

For more Phoenix.gov/Parks.