Hickenlooper: Governors talk regional fire fleet

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper says there are initial talks with western governors about sharing a regional aerial fleet to fight fires.

The Democratic governor spoke briefly about the discussions Tuesday during a news conference where he urged Colorado residents to be aware of the fire danger this Fourth of July holiday and advised homeowners living in high-risk areas to work on mitigation around their properties.

Hickenlooper said Tuesday residents should check with their local governments to know what burning restrictions are in place. Currently, there’s no statewide ban in place.

Hickenlooper emphasized the idea of a regional aerial fleet is preliminary. It came up during the Western Governors’ Association meeting last week in Utah.

Colorado lawmakers this year passed a bill for a state firefighting fleet but didn’t budget funds for it.