FIRE DEPARTMENTS WARN OF FIRE DANGER

PIKES PEAK REGION – The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office and the Colorado Springs Fire Departments are warning area residents to be careful with fire on Wednesday.

The second day in a row with Red Flag Warnings has firefighters concerned. A small fire in Pueblo County Tuesday night has highlighted the danger, according to information from the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office:

A late night brush fire along Interstate-25 near mile marker 83 is a small reminder of how critical it is to pay attention to weather service warnings on Red Flag Days. A Red Flag Warning means that conditions are perfectly suited for fire. Dry air, warm temperatures, and strong winds not only mean ripe conditions, but combine to make controlling fire on those warning days a real challenge for fire fighters.

Citizens are encouraged to stay vigilante throughout the Spring and Summer, but especially during the Red Flag Warning Days. Fully extinguish cigarettes and never throw them from your car window. Use caution when working with any flame out of doors. In addition, campfires can easily get out of control, so if you have one in an authorized area, don’t leave it unattended and use plenty of water to extinguish it. Pueblo County residents are also prohibited from yard debris controlled burns on these days.

“The keys to getting a brush fire under control, particularly those that begin under a Red Flag, are quick response and suppression efforts. The fire last night was contained to roughly 10 acres because of the rapid suppression efforts of citizens that were in the area. Our volunteers were able to get it completely knocked down within a couple hours but fire spreads faster and risk to fire fighters is greater under a Red Flag Warning.” says Emergency Services Bureau Chief Mark Mears.

There were no injuries or structure damage from the fire. The cause of the fire was a wind-downed power-line.