Annual fire restrictions were put into effect last week on public land by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service. The restrictions prohibit:

* Building wood or charcoal fires outside developed campgrounds except in a portable stove using gas, jellied petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel;

* Smoking except in an enclosed vehicle;

* Welding with an acetylene torch with open flames except by permit;

* Using fireworks or firing a tracer.

The BLM also prohibits the use of steel jacket ammunition, a known fire starter. The jacket of steel core ammunition is coated with copper and will spark on rocks, according to a BLM press release.

"These restrictions should be taken seriously," Glenn Gibson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fire Management Officer, said in a prepared statement. "Violations can result in a fine of up to $10,000 and a year in jail as well as the costs associated with resource damage, suppression costs and injuries if found guilty."