Fire danger very high

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

There's lots of fire fuel out there, and it's very dry. As a result, fire danger is high in northern Colorado and will remain so until the area receives significant precipitation.

Larimer County adopted fire restrictions on open fires and fireworks on Sept. 14, following the Reservoir Road fire west of Loveland.

Capt. Jim Lynxwiler of Poudre Fire Authority's Station 7 in LaPorte said that "fuel moistures are very low" after hot and dry weather in August and September. In fact, new records for low fuel moisture are being set.

"You can tell it's really dry when something as simple as a lawnmower blade hitting a rock can start a fire," Lynxwiler said.

This year, the combination of low fuel moisture and high volumes of fuel are contributing to a devastating fire season along the Front Range. Above-average precipitation in spring and early summer led to lots of new growth, and all that grass has now dried out.

Once grasses dry out or "cure," they can cause a fire to spread quickly, as evidenced by the destructive Fourmile Road and Reservoir Road fires in early September.

Cost of fighting the Reservoir Road fire, which burned 740 acres and destroyed two homes west of Loveland, was estimated at about $2 million. The Fourmile Road fire west of Boulder burned 6,200 acres and destroyed 169 homes, causing an estimated $217 million in property damage.

Late summer also brought an epidemic of grass fires to Larimer County. Most recently, on Sept. 23 a grass fire burned about 1,000 acres in Weld County, near Kersey, destroying one vacant home Firefighters also responded to a 40-acre grass fire northwest of Wellington on Sept. 20. The lightning-caused blaze was located near County Road 72, between CR 11 and CR 13.

Firefighters extinguished a 40-acre fire in Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 19, and a grass fire on the Rennels ranch in the Livermore area consumed 400 acres in late August.

Fire restrictions

Fire restrictions in Larimer County will continue through Nov. 1. Details follow.

• Open fires and fireworks in the unincorporated areas of Larimer County, including camp and cooking fires, are prohibited.
• Smoking in the open is not allowed.
• Spark arresters must be used with combustion engines.
• "Contained" open fires are allowed. These include camp stoves, gas grills and fires in permanently constructed metal or masonry fireplaces, such as those in campgrounds. Masonry or metal fire pits are also allowed.
• Operating a charcoal grill at a private residence is allowed, provided it is on a non-combustible surface.

The county's complete fire ordinance is available at www.larimer.org/policies.

Evacuation tips

Larimer County Extension has released tips for people who are evacuated because of fire. When residents are allowed to return to the fire zone to check on their homes, there are a number of things to look for, both outside and inside, to ensure safety.

First, residents should check for the smell of gas. If there is a smell of gas, residents should leave the house immediately and turn the gas supply off at the tank or outside valve, then contact the gas company.

Food left in the home at the time of evacuation should be thrown out. The Extension report also includes information about taking care of animals after a fire and creating defensible space. See www.larimer.org/ext. Click on "Dealing with Disasters."