Dry, windy weather makes fire danger high

Tami and Ariah McDowell are trying to beat the heat at a fountain in Pueblo.

“We are here to feel the mist and play with the other kids and enjoy the coolness,” said Tami McDowell.

But it’s not this simple when it comes to wildfire.

“With the high temperatures and the wind that tends to dry out pretty quickly,” said Capt. Tracy Swearingen, from the Pueblo County Emergency Services Bureau.

Meteorologists at the National Weather Service, who specialize in fire danger, say this hot pattern is normal.

“We normally see a slight lull in precipitation in June until we transition into our wetter months,” said Mark Wankowski, a meteorologist at the NWS.

Although a lot of Colorado isn’t in a drought right now, there are still dangerous grassy areas.

“The increase in wind is going to dry out some of those longer grasses that have grown over the past season and those become the fuel for fires,” said Erik Duran, from the Pueblo Fire Department.

Fuel that can spark a wildfire if people aren’t careful.

“Just be cognizant of their surroundings and how fast and how easy it is to start a fire,” Swearingen said.

Although the McDowells are splashing and having fun at the fountain, as Colorado natives fire danger is always on their mind.

“I felt so sorry for the firefighters because that has to strike fear in their hearts to have that hot wind blasting them,” McDowell said.