Chasing smoke: Despite plenty of resident complaints, few Utahns were cited for violating no-burn rules last year. It turns out, reports are hard to verify.

Holladay resident Nick Smyrniotopoulos has a problem. One of his neighbors has repeatedly reported him for burning trash in violation of state and county air-quality policies — even calling the police and fire department out to his house.

Authorities tried to step up no-burn enforcement on the Wasatch Front this winter, but they concede it can sometimes be difficult to determine who has broken the rules. They still encourage Utahns to report violations — even though only a fraction of complaints result in citations.

“People will complain that there is burning in my neighborhood, but … we can’t do anything if it’s not clear where the smoke is coming from,” Rupp said.