Fort Carson training fire has residents expressing concerns

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - As of Friday morning, a Fort Carson official confirmed to KRDO13 that with cooler overnight temperatures, Wednesday’s training area fire has burned approximately 4,000 acres with very little active fire remaining.

They say the smoke will remain visible throughout the day.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Fort Carson crews battle 5,000-7,000-acre fire sparked by training exercise

Many residents shared concerns with KRDO13, saying the fire feels too close for comfort and that they can see the flames from their backyards.

Firefighters tell KRDO13 they understand the concerns, especially after the Carson Midway Fire in 2018.

Other fire agencies in the area say they remember the Carson Midway Fire as an outlier, where the conditions that day were just right for a fire to spread. Although agencies responded as fast as they could, it took a week to extinguish the flames, as many families were evacuated. Now, the agencies say they are prepared and ready to assist at any time. They say all Fort Carson has to do is pick up the phone, and they will be there to help.

It's past fires like the Carson Midway Fire that are scarred on the memories of residents, just like the burn scars on the grass.

"We're always told that, you know, they say that they've got an eye on it and we're controlling it. But when it gets a little bit too close for comfort there, you kind of wonder, do you really have control of it? I guess we have to take their word for it, but all it has to do is jump. And then what? You know, so. Yeah. It's scary," shared resident Todd Storms.

Storms says he'd appreciate a larger presence of firefighters for peace of mind.

"It's not fun to have that in your backyard and always be on your toes to have to wrap up the horses in the trailer. God forbid. Or the other animals and have to bug out. It's stressful," said Todd Storms.

Another neighbor, Michael Van Vleet, remembers evacuating for the Carson Midway Fire, saying this isn't the worst of it.

"It's just the smoke. And they'll they're going to get us out of here like we were evacuated before we got told we had to leave," Van Vleet explained, "Everything's dry out here, but you know, they're training, so I guess they hit a spark and range fire. High winds."

Van Vleet says he saw the firefighters out at night working to contain the flames and expressed his appreciation for their work.

Fort Carson sent KRDO13 this response to our questions:

“We want to start by addressing residents’ concerns over Wednesday’s training area fire. We understand that seeing smoke over Fort Carson may be unsettling, but we want to assure residents that the Fort Carson Fire Department takes all fires seriously, and that specific fire mitigation procedures are in place to ensure fires do not threaten life and property, both on and off post.

The fire in question has been contained within Fort Cason’s large impact area, a location within the training area that is comprised of rough terrain and overgrown vegetation. While fires within the large impact area are difficult to access, crews continuously monitor the perimeter around the area to ensure the fire is contained within. A combination of overgrown vegetation and warm, windy weather increases the potential for the fire to grow within the large impact area and for smoke to be visible throughout the day.

In terms of fire safety, Fort Carson’s Fire Chief considers daily weather and red flag warnings every morning when he provides his daily safety recommendations to the installation’s commanding general. Factors such as dry temperatures, low cloud cover, and wind influence his recommendations to continue or delay training exercises.

Occurring both day and night, these training exercises validate Fort Carson Soldiers and their equipment in order to deploy at a moment’s notice anywhere around the globe. Their rigorous training is a necessary part of defending our national security, increasing both readiness and lethality across the ranks.

Every fire station on post is equipped with wildland assets necessary to respond to fires in the training area. Additionally, Fort Carson Fire maintains Memorandums of Agreement with all neighboring fire departments in the event that additional resources are deemed necessary to contain the fire.

Every year, Fort Carson firefighters conduct prescribed burns when appropriate while also implementing manual mitigation strategies, such as mowing and trimming, to reduce the risk of training area fires. Furthermore, Fort Carson firefighters are continuously training to ensure they’re prepared to respond to fires, whether in the training area or around main post.

We are grateful for the continued support from southern Colorado residents, local fire departments and our Fort Carson Families as we navigate balancing training with fire mitigation.”

-A Fort Carson spokesperson

The City of Fountain also tells KRDO13 they're ready if needed.

The City of Fountain values its relationship with Fort Carson.  We trust that the soldiers and fire professionals there make the right decisions on when and where training is appropriate, and we are confident in their ability to control any accidental fires that do break out without impacting neighboring communities.  Although no members of the Fountain Fire Department have been called to help, our crews are ready to assist if needed.

-A City of Fountain spokesperson

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