Continued high fire danger leads Pueblo West firefighters to inform, educate residents, promote readiness

PUEBLO WEST, Colo. (KRDO) -- We've learned that wildfire season is year 'round in Colorado, but the ongoing drought has contributed to more fires early in the season.

And with a second extreme fire danger day within a week expected Friday, the Pueblo West Fire Department is taking a step it hasn't taken in a long time.

"We want residents to be prepared on how they can mitigate their properties and make sure that it's cleaned up appropriately so that it doesn't reach their house," said spokeswoman Samantha Dosen.

The department has scheduled an open house Saturday from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. at the Pueblo West Shrine Club, 1501 West McCulloch Boulevard, to provide residents with information about preparing for wildfires.

"We haven't done this for a while and a lot of people have moved here since the last wildfire meeting," Dosen said. "Right now, we're looking at a population of around 33,000."

Dosen said that residents shouldn't assume that wildfires are limited to forests and groves of trees.

"Even in the open area that we have, with all of the sagebrush, juniper trees and other fuels, fires can burn hotter, move faster and last longer," she said. "That makes it more of a challenge for people to evacuate and for firefighters to contain a fire."

Even having tumbleweeds too close to a home can present a serious fire risk, Dosen said.

Eric Bogguess, a Pueblo West resident since 1985, worries about a thick patch of vegetation behind his house.

"It's definitely a fire danger," he said, while looking at it. "This is the wall that I put up behind my house and cleared some of this area, so I had a break. I think I'm pretty safe."

Firefighters have responded to several fires this month, including a grass fire last Friday that burned several acres east of Interstate 25 near the Pueblo West exit; the cause of that fire is unknown.

On Thursday, firefighters responded to a report that a homeless man was starting a fire along I-25; however, they found nothing burning and no one present.