Colorado Springs FD preparing for more devastating wildfires
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Despite snow showers in May, the Colorado Springs Fire Department warns that precipitation levels are still dangerously low, meaning wildfires could be destructive again this year.
"We've been in a long-standing drought," said Steve Wilch, Battalion Chief with the Colorado Springs Fire Department. "Southeastern Colorado is seeing that, and we're seeing very dry fuels out there that are ready to burn. We're looking at another year like 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire."
Meanwhile, mitigation crews are still repairing damage from three of the most devastating wildfires in Colorado history, including the Cameron Peak Fire, the Pine Gulch Fire, and the East Troublesome Fire. That work will continue into summer, and for years longer if future wildfires go through those same areas.
In Colorado Springs alone, 36,000 homes fall within a Wildland Urban Interface, an area determined to be at very high risk for wildfires.
The Colorado Springs Fire Department has over 450 firefighters trained in wildland firefighting, with 128 firefighters on duty each day, all trained in wildland firefighting and ready to protect those homes at a moment's notice.