First look at the closed Waldo Canyon fire zone

The Waldo Canyon fire may be contained, but the work on thousands of acres is still months or even years from being done before you can enjoy it again. Photojournalist Dennison Howard and I got the chance to go behind the lines of a closed chunk of public land that still has problems.

U.S. Forest Service crews are still working on acres of hot spots miles away from the Rampart Range Reservoir. The reservoir is on the northern edge of the are that’s still shut down to the public. Dawn Sanchez of the Forest Service told me crews are still working to get the hot spots out but it’s in steep rocky terrain. Sanchez says, “It’s easier to let the fires burn then it is to get firefighters in there and hurt people.”

Crews are also doing extensive work to saw down burned trees near the road, to make it safe to get into these areas. There are thousands of acres that are currently closed off to the public but people are still making their way in to the area. Sanchez says, “You need to understand the trails are not open, the roads are not open and there’s no reason for them to be here. It’s extremely unsafe.”

If you’re caught in this closed off area you can face up to a five thousand dollar fine and up to six months in jail. We’ve put a link to the U.S. Forest service on links we mentioned so you can click on it and get the most current map of the site that’s closed off for public use.