Wildfire burning near Frisco is a reminder, yes, we still have fire danger in Colorado
Considering the massive amount of rain and moisture Colorado has gotten this year, one might think it's going to be harder for wildfires to start up this year. Au contraire dear reader!
"We have had a lot of moisture this season but our finer flashier fuels are starting to cure out and be more receptive to fire as they dry out through the season," Robert Rodriguez, Fire Prevention Tech with U.S. Forest Service said Monday. "The lower elevations are already seeing that even in some of their heavier fuels."
Rodriguez was working with a team on the Meadow Creek Trailhead Fire, just outside of Frisco (which burned a whopping 3/10ths of an acre Sunday before crews were able to get a line all the way around it.) Even though the fire is now fully contained, they're still checking hotspots and making sure there's no heat left over that could spark something back up.
"With these high winds, those hot pockets can jump, cause the winds to pick 'em up, carry them across this line," Rodriguez said. "So before we leave the area we want to make sure that this is not gonna extend past where it has already extended."
Right now there is not a public, concrete cause for the fire, although teams did find someone camping just near where the fire started.
Now the Forest Service is using this as a reminder that regardless of conditions, it's always fire season in Colorado, so make sure your campfires are all the way out (by dousing them, stirring them, then checking for heat with your actual hand. If you still feel heat, keep dousing and stirring.)
"It's always the right time to practice and model good behaviors... this time of year when we are getting hotter and dryer, pay special attention to it," Rodriguez said.
