Increased Fire Danger Puts Summit County On Alert For Holiday Weekend
FRISCO, Colo. (CBS4)- With higher temperatures and possible lightning, there is an increased fire danger across parts of Colorado this Labor Day holiday weekend. As people make their way into the mountains, Summit County is urging visitors to be cautious because of the increased fire danger.
Summit Fire and Rescue Lt. Lou Laurina calls it "the second fire season" and it can be even more dangerous than the summer fire season. That's because there are still a lot of people heading into the mountains and right now, the vegetation is extremely dry.
"It's the time of the year when the monsoons end and our terrain really starts to dry out," Summit Fire & Rescue Lt. Lou Laurina told CBS4 Friday as his crew trained for the real thing.
Firefighters hope this training isn't needed for the real thing, but with fire danger extremely high, they are concerned.
Things are drying up quickly. Stage One fire restrictions are in place in Summit County and that means no open fires in the woods.
"You can still have fires in an approved ring at any campground in the county. You can also have fire in your backyard and improved ring and a screen over," Laurina said.
First responders are hoping visitors will obey the restrictions in place in order to keep everyone safe.
"Please be responsible and respectful of our woods."
The current fire danger in Colorado shows moderate risk for most of the Front Range with high or very high for parts of Central and Western Colorado.