Colorado began its summer with a period of minimal wildfire activity, which prompted some firefighting teams to assist with fires in other states. However, this week has seen a rapid change of events, with various destructive wildfires now burning in the Centennial State, most of which have little containment.
On Wednesday, the Colorado Department of Public Safety’s executive director made a request to the local fire department chiefs. He urged them to withdraw the resources they had sent to assist in the out-of-state fires.
In expressing his support for the mission of helping partners, Stan Hilkey emphasized the importance of reciprocity. “Our partners help us when we need it, and it is our duty to support their noble mission,” he said.
Hilkey expressed his concerns regarding the availability of resources to deal with the long-term impacts of weather patterns for the rest of the summer. He emphasized the need for resources to be present within the state to avail opportunities as they arise. “I’d be much more at ease if we had some resources back in the state to assist us with the long-term impacts,” Hilkey stated.
Colorado is currently experiencing extremely hot and dry conditions. Climate prediction experts have predicted a high probability of below normal rainfall in the state for the remainder of the summer.
Hilkey urged the state fire department chiefs to consider bringing back the assets as soon as it is practical since Colorado requires them. “I call upon the chiefs of the fire departments in the state to think about bringing those assets back when it’s most soon practical for them because the state of Colorado needs those assets here as well,” Hilkey emphasized.
Jefferson County’s subdivisions were under threat from the Quarry Fire on Wednesday morning. However, officials faced a delay when requesting additional firefighting resources.
As the day progressed, the Quarry Fire situation showed signs of improvement as managers were able to secure additional aerial resources such as helicopters and planes to aid in extinguishing the flames.
The managers overseeing the Quarry Fire and three other fires along Colorado’s Front Range are well aware that they are not only battling the blazes but also the limited firefighting resources available.
Currently, the federal government is reporting the suppression of 95 large fires all over the country. In addition, there are 10 new large fires that have emerged, causing more than 2 million acres to burn. The National Interagency Coordination Center located in Idaho is constantly rejecting requests for additional aerial resources. Despite their efforts to decline requests, more requests continue to flood in every day.
The reason behind this is primarily attributed to the massive wildfires, such as the Park Fire in Northern California, that have ravaged an area of almost 400,000 acres, as well as the multiple fires that erupted across Oregon.
Hilkey pointed out that there is currently stiff competition with other states for federal firefighting resources.
