Governor declares three fire disaster emergencies Tuesday
Colorado Governor Jared Polis declared three disaster emergencies in the state Tuesday for wildfires burning in Delta, Larimer, and Boulder counties.
These verbal declarations activate the State Emergency Operations Plan and direct the Department of Public Safety and its Divisions of Emergency Management and Fire Prevention and Control to take all necessary and appropriate actions to assist with response, recovery, and mitigation efforts.
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The declarations unlock the resources necessary to respond to the Alexander Mountain Fire in Larimer County, Currant Creek Fire in Delta County, and Stone Canyon Fire in Boulder County.
“We are working to ensure that Coloradans impacted by these fires have the resources they need and we are providing critical state support to help manage and contain these fires as quickly as possible to protect our communities and prevent costly damage. These actions will help deploy resources more quickly to Colorado communities. I’m grateful to the incredible frontline responders who are fighting these fires around the clock and I continue monitoring these fires very closely,” Polis said.
Fire resources have also been dispatched to the Ed Joe Draw Fire in San Miguel County.
Resources include the state’s FIREHAWK® and crew, three air tankers, two multi-mission aircraft, two Type-2 helicopters and crews, 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. Response efforts also include federal aviation resources as well as a Douglas County helicopter.
Evacuations were in place overnight for portions of Larimer and Boulder counties, with hundreds of people displaced as fires in those counties grew rapid.
Temperatures across Colorado have been in the 90s to low 100s for several days, with similar high temperatures and very dry conditions expected to continue Wednesday. Heat advisories and red flag warnings for high fire danger have also been issued in parts of the state over recent days.
