A statewide fire ban, ordered in August by Gov. Jared Polis, expired on Wednesday but many counties are currently exercising local fire restrictions as several wildfires burn in the state and dry weather continues.
Gov. Jared Polis initially ordered the statewide fire ban for 30 days starting on Aug. 19, but it was extended through the end of September.
Multiple counties in Colorado, including metro area counties, have local fire restrictions in place, said Micki Trost, strategic communications director with the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Fire restrictions can also be ordered by the federal government for federal lands in the state.
Restriction orders can change daily, dependent on fire and weather condition red flag warnings, Trost said.
Anyone using the outdoors should know what restrictions and limitations are in place for the area they are utilizing.
Colorado’s 2020 wildfire season has been record setting, with the Pine Gulch fire on the Western Slope becoming the largest in Colorado history for acres burned. Pine Gulch, as of Friday, has burned 139,007 acres, about 217 square miles. The Cameron Peak fire also makes the list, at No. 3, having burned 125,271 acres, almost 196 square miles. Both fires are still burning, with Pine Gulch at 100% contained and Cameron Peak at 34% contained as of Friday.
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