Colorado balancing emergency resources in fighting multiple wildfires
(The Center Square) – State, county and federal resources were being balanced to fight multiple wildfires in Colorado.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis issued a verbal declaration of disaster emergency for the Stone Mountain fire in Boulder County, the Alexander Mountain fire in Larimer County, the Currant Creek fire in Delta County and the Ed Joe Draw fire in San Miguel County.
The order, issued Tuesday, activates the state’s emergency operations plan. It directs the Department of Public Safety and the divisions of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and Fire Prevention and Control to take all necessary and appropriate actions to assist with response, recovery and mitigation efforts for the fires.
An evacuation order was lifted for the northern and western portions of the town of Lyons on Wednesday morning near the Stone Canyon Fire, according to the Boulder County Office of Disaster Management. Several media outlets reported one fatality and several structures were destroyed as the fire consumed approximately 1,300 acres.
Boulder County opened animal shelters for anyone impacted by the fire as large animals could be taken to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds and small or companion animals taken to the Boulder Valley or Longmont Humane Society.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Regional Air Quality Council issued an alert in Boulder County.
Statewide resources include aviation support from specialized helicopters, three air tankers and two multi-mission aircraft. Fire engines, firefighter crews, intelligence and management support, communications support, road closure assistance, traffic control, shelter and volunteer support, veterinary medical teams, and drone operations were made available.
A mandatory evacuation was ordered for the area of Dunraven Glade near the Alexander Mountain Fire. The area was previously under a voluntary evacuation.
Mike Smith, incident commander for the Alexander Mountain Fire with the U.S. Forest Service at the Arapaho Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland, said the fire spread to the north, west and east on Tuesday. Managing resources to address several fires at once will be the priority, Smith said.
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“Nationally, we’re extraordinarily busy as well as locally,” Smith said in a video update posted on social media. “So, getting these assets is really one of the challenging things for us. As we get priorities given to us from the state and federal folks that govern those resources, it’s a balancing act. We’re doing what we can with what we have.”
A 200-acre fire in Jefferson County is expected to grow. More than 575 homes across five subdivisions are under evacuation orders, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's office.
"This is a complex fire exhibiting active fire behavior that is not conducive for a ground attack," Mark Techmeyer, director of public affairs for the Jefferson County Sheriff, said during an afternoon press conference. "The terrain doesn’t allow for it. But the good news is we have air support dropping fire retardant. Four helicopters are dropping water on the fire. This is a huge point of celebration for us from this morning's press conference when it looked like it was going to be tough for us to get some air support. But we got it."
