By Ivan Moreno
Rocky Mountain News
Copyright 2007 Denver Publishing Company

DENVER — Moisture has dramatically eased Colorado's wildfires this year, allowing the state to send resources to other Western states where large wildfires have ravaged thousands of acres.

"Basically it's been because of the wet spring we had," said Larry Helmerick, a fire information officer with Fairmount Fire Protection District and the Rocky Mountain Coordination Center. "The Western Slope is still pretty dry and that's where most of the fire activity is."

In contrast, 71 large fires, some scorching up to 85,000 acres, are burning across the western U.S., where 15,000 local and regional firefighters are battling blazes in 10 states, said Randy Eardley, spokesman for the National Interagency Fire Center.

The center on Thursday, in the midst of scorching temperatures, raised the nation's fire preparedness needs to its highest level of five, which opens the door to possible aid from other countries as demand for fire-fighting resources increases.

"It reflects the severity of the number of fires burning in the West," said Eardley, adding that a level five is reached each year, but this time it happened earlier than usual.

Last year, Eardley said smoke jumpers from Canada and midlevel fire managers from New Zealand and Australia were asked to help with wildfires.

This time around, Colorado is sending help, an indication of the state's mild wildfire season.

"Colorado has really been in pretty good shape this year," Eardley said. "I would say that the danger is probably there, but I understand that you've been getting higher relative humidity."

The region, which includes Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota, has a preparedness level of three.

On Thursday, three North Metro Fire Rescue personnel and a Brush Attack were sent near Las Vegas to assist with the Boo Hoo Fire, which has burned about 15,000 acres.

Helmerick also said the state sent aid to Reno, Nev., in the form of a Type 1 team, which includes about 50 specialists.

Nevada and Idaho, Eardley said, are seeing the largest wildfire activity in the West. In Nevada, 24 wildfires are burning between 700 and 40,000 acres. In Idaho, 17 wildfires range in size from 300 to 85,000 acres.

While Colorado's wildfires burned more than 219,000 acres in 2006, the data from this year shows a dramatic drop in acres burned.

The 673 fires this year have burned 6,501 acres heading into monsoonal season, which moves the fire danger north to Wyoming and South Dakota, said Steve Segin, a spokesman with the Rocky Mountain Coordination Center.

But that doesn't mean wildfires are unlikely to happen in the state. "Folks shouldn't be fooled," Segin said, "There's still fire potential out there."