Copyright 2006 Denver Publishing Company
By CHARLEY ABLE
Rocky Mountain News (Denver)
With wildfires already burning areas across the state, fire officials worry about the rush to campsites, forests and other wildland areas over this three-day weekend and the summer vacation season.
“I’d say we are at more risk than we were last year, certainly. We are looking an awful lot like we did in 2002, the worst fire season in history,” said Polly White, spokeswoman for the Colorado Office of Emergency Management.
In many areas of the state, most of this year’s wildland fires have been caused by lightning, but along the Front Range, the story is different.
“On the Front Range, as of April, when Gov. Owens did his pre-season fire briefing . . . we had had 73 fires, and 71 of them were human-caused,” White said.
And as the warmer weather, holidays and vacations draw more visitors, vehicles and fire-related activities to fire-prone areas, the chances of runaway blazes increase.
White urged holiday campers to exercise care with cooking fires, campfires and other potential ignition sources.
“Be very, very careful with your fire; make sure it is out before you leave your camp,” White said, suggesting campers take along shovels and plenty of water to thoroughly extinguish campfires.
Other ignition sources — including discarded cigarettes, chain saws without spark arresters and hot catalytic convertors on automobiles in tall grass — also are a concern.
Red-flag warnings, which signal extreme fire danger, were posted Friday for the Pueblo and Grand Junction areas. More are expected as dry, hot weather persists.
“The State Forest Service says all you need is 10 days of hot, dry weather” to leave the forests tinder-dry, White said.
And the danger is not limited to Colorado’s high country; the eastern plains also have had a rash of fires this year.
“They are very nervous about brush fires. Morgan County got their fire restrictions in place early on, saying: ‘If we can’t stop it coming from I-70, we can’t stop it,” White said.
A wildfire assessment map posted by the Colorado State Forest Service on Friday indicated high fire danger persists along the Interstate 25 corridor from Las Animas County just north of the New Mexico state line to Larimer County, just south of the Wyoming border.
The map indicates large portions of El Paso, Larimer, Teller, Douglas, Elbert, Jefferson and Boulder counties are included in the high danger area, as are Morgan and Logan counties along Interstate 76 and portions of the high country along Interstate 70 from Jefferson County through Garfield and Mesa counties.
In southwestern Colorado, Ouray, San Miguel, Montezuma, La Plata and Archuleta counties also are peppered with high fire danger areas.
Much of Jefferson County’s foothills and forests are in the high-risk area, and Sheriff Ted Mink this week replaced fire restrictions issued earlier this spring with a fire ban.
Fire restrictions
* Cities and counties with fire bans or restrictions: Castle Rock, Clear Creek County, Colorado Springs, Conejos County, Douglas County, El Paso County, Huerfano County, Jefferson County, Lincoln County, Morgan County, Park County, Phillips County, Prowers County, Pueblo County and Teller County.
* More info: Colorado Division of Emergency Management (www.dola.state.co.us).
* National Forest and Bureau of Land Management bans or restrictions: Pike National Forest, San Isabel National Forest, Comanche National Grassland, Bureau of Land Management holdings east of the Continental Divide, excluding the San Luis Valley and Lake County.
* More info: www.co.blm.gov/news/ 2006/SE_Fire_Restrictions.htm.
* Some county-issued fire bans also include National Forest and BLM properties and other federal lands. Rocky Mountain National Park operates under permanent regulations that limit campfires and other activities. See park rules for details.
* Colorado State Parks with fire restrictions: Arkansas Headwaters, Bonny Lake, Castlewood Canyon, Chatfield, Cherry Creek, Crawford, Eldorado Canyon, Eleven Mile, Golden Gate Canyon, Highline Lake, Jackson Lake, James M. Robb-Colorado River, John Martin Reservoir, Lake Pueblo, Lathrop, Mancos, Mueller, Navajo, North Sterling, Paonia, Pearl Lake, Ridgway, Spinney Mountain, Steamboat Lake, Sweitzer Lake, Sylvan Lake and Trinidad.