Smoke seen near Cheyenne Mountain; no wildfire

If you see smoke near the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, don’t worry — it’s part of a two-day training exercise for station firefighters.

Authorities don’t want people to forget that the area is particularly vulnerable to a wildfire. The last major fire there, in 1950, spread to Fort Carson. It killed nine people and destroyed more than 30 buildings.

Serious wildfires in the area date back to the mid-1800s. Experts say wind shifts and gusts make firefighting in the area especially challenging and dangerous.

Firefighters in the exercise will learn how to handle a variety of fire-related emergencies. The station has agreements to respond to the nearby Broadmoor Bluffs neighborhood and Cheyenne Mountain State Park if necessary.

Ralph Cadwallader has lived in the neighborhood for 20 years and said residents have become less concerned about fires during this rainy year.

“There was a lot of mitigation that went on after the Black Forest and Waldo Canyon fires,” he said. “But that has died down. There’s a worry but not an extreme worry.”

Mitchell Martin, the park manager, said only 230 of the park’s 2,700 acres have been mitigated.

“We’ve focused on the highest-risk areas,” he said. “But there’s still a lot of fuel out there.”

Martin and Cadwallader said they’re thankful another firefighting resource is available and ready to respond first in the area.