Nineteen wildfires in Utah have been sparked this year by target shooting as dry and windy conditions make such ignitions more likely, authorities said.

Authorities counted 24 wildfires sparked by guns last year, and 20 the year before. Three months remain in the dry season.

The state cannot do much to prevent more of these fires this year. Cities can restrict certain types of ammunition and targets for fire safety, but gun laws limit such regulations at the state level, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.

In other parts of the West, authorities in Colorado were investigating whether recreational shooting is to blame for starting a 1,145-acre wildfire near Lake George over the weekend.

Hot, windy weather Thursday made the region ripe for new fires spreading in Utah as well as parts of western Colorado, Nevada and Oregon. In another sign of how dry the West is, a highway mower is suspected of sparking a 6-acre wildfire along the Arkansas River in southern Colorado.