Snowfall can both help and hurt wildfire prevention, fire officials say

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- If you have mixed emotions about snow during springtime, you’re not alone.

Officials with the Colorado Springs Fire Department said snow totals contribute to the risk of wildfire in our region.

Fire officials said wildfire season in Colorado Springs is 365 days a year, which may come as a surprise to some given that we see snow during almost every season.

But there is a science behind it.

Colorado Springs Fire Officials said the sunny days that often follow the snowfall are what causes the wildfire danger.

“The multiple sunny days that follow are what causes the snowfall to melt," said Melissa Hoffman, Wildfire Mitigation Program Coordinator with the Colorado Springs Fire Department. "Then the soil absorbs all that moisture. What that means is not only do we have more dry fuels for that warm and sunny weather, but we’ve created the perfect environment for more fuels to grow and regenerate.”

Fire officials said the wildland areas on the west side of town, where many properties back right up to Cheyenne Mountain and Pikes Peak, are where they see the most wildfires.

Though moisture in that area is always welcome, it’s not a sustainable means of prevention.

“This is why we really encourage homeowners to create the 30 feet of defensible space around their homes,” said Hoffman. "Trim those low dead branches, lift the skirts up on the trees. That way if there was a grass fire, it wouldn't be able to come through and have those lower branches act as ladder fuels."

Officials said dry fuel levels are higher this year than in 2020 and 2019.

They hope it isn’t foreshadowing a repeat of last year.

In 2020, the three largest wildfires, including the Cameron Peak Fire, burned through 540,000 acres statewide.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department does offer free on-site consultations for homeowners who want to protect their property from wildfires.