Fires Continue to Rage Across Colorado; Put Residents on Edge
Trevor Phipps
In the beginning of the summer, Teller County ramped up efforts to put more law enforcement boots on the ground inside the county’s national forest properties.
A month and a half after the launching of this campaign, the increased enforcement and zero tolerance efforts have produced positive results.
As wildfires keep burning across the state, Teller County has stayed clear of any major issues related to catastrophic blazes. Some fires have ignited near and around the county, but they have been small and fire crews reached full containment quickly.
Over the Fourth of July weekend, the sheriff’s zero tolerance crackdown appeared to quell the amount of illegal activity inside Teller’s national forest. The sheriff’s office only received six calls dealing with people who reportedly heard or saw others shooting off fireworks over the popular holiday weekend. All six were deemed to be unfounded, and there was no evidence of fireworks in use.
Moreover, the sheriff’s office didn’t write a single ticket for an illegal campfire or any other violation of the Stage 2 fire ban. “Comparatively speaking, last year we had in the high teens as far as fireworks related calls go,” said Teller County Sheriff Chief Deputy Kevin Tedesco. “We’ve had a very strong anti-fire campaign going all summer long to include a zero-tolerance policy on burn restrictions. I believe that with the support of the community, collaboration with community members and the seriousness of the dry spell that we are in, everyone is taking it so seriously that we had very little law enforcement interactions due to violations. We had a greater level of voluntary compliance than we have ever seen before in the past due to all that (law enforcement work).”
In comparison, things were different in Colorado Springs over the holiday weekend. According to the Colorado Springs Police Department, the city received 930 complaints over the weekend from Friday through Sunday.
The Colorado Springs Fire Department reported that between 8 a.m. on July 4 and 8 a.m. on July 5, firefighters responded to 344 calls for service. Twenty-three calls reported outside fires, eight of which were caused by fireworks. This was an increase over the previous year when firefighters responded to 238 calls for service and 17 outside fires, only three of which were caused by fireworks.
Fire Ignites Near Charis Bible College in Woodland Park
On July 7, just after noon, first responders received a call regarding a small brush fire igniting off Trout Creek Road on the west side of Woodland Park. Crews responded promptly and reached full containment on the blaze the same day it ignited.
“Shortly after investigators spoke with the owner of the property, it was discovered the fire was inadvertently caused by his actions through the use of a small, commercial incendiary device,” the Woodland Park Police Department said in a social media post. “Based on the circumstances of the case, charges were filed against the property owner.
The police department further reminded people to use caution during the current dry weather conditions. “We want to remind everyone that what may start as a seemingly harmless act can and will grow to a potentially large and catastrophic one,” the police department said. “Please do not use any item that relies on flame or ignition to operate while fire bans and restrictions are in place. When they are not in place, it is critical to use them in a way that remains safe.”
Although the fire didn’t start on Charis Bible College property, it did occur on a neighboring property. “We are grateful to every first responder who participated in putting out the fire in Woodland Park,” the Charis Bible College said in a statement. “We understand how close the fire was to Charis Bible College and know these brave men and women helped keep our students and community safe.”
Aspen Acres Fire Continues to Grow
At press time, the mega ire burning west of Pueblo, one of the largest in state history, had nearly scorched 100,000 acres. The fire line on the east was mostly contained. However, the fire continued to grow on its northeast side as it has remained challenging to extinguish, with pockets of smoldering heat threatening to ignite very dry juniper forests.
Earlier in the week, fire crews announced that they had reached 36 percent containment on the blaze. But the fire still grew around 600 acres overnight leading into last Monday morning.
The Aspen Acres fire is currently the seventh largest in Colorado history. To date, the blaze has destroyed 851 structures in Pueblo and Custer Counties in the southern part of the state.
At least 337 homes have been destroyed. Fire officials said the fire is human-caused and remains under investigation.
The Ferris fire north of Dolores is also now one of the top 10 largest fires in state history. At press time, the blaze had burned more than 64,000 acres. Crews had reached 29 percent containment at the beginning of last week.
As of last week, the Aspen Acres and Ferris fires joined the list of seven wildfires burning across the state. Colorado has seen several more this year ignite, but many crews were able to quickly contain.
