With the region receiving increased moisture recently, all area fire restrictions were rescinded effective Friday, Sept. 5.
The U.S. Forest Service was the first to announce that it would be rescinding its restrictions on the San Juan National Forest, followed by the Bureau of Land Management’s Tres Rios Field Office, Archuleta County and the Town of Pagosa Springs.
In announcing the restrictions would be lifted, the Forest Service noted that recent rains over the forest have lessened the risk of wildland fire, allowing restrictions to be lifted.
This means campfires are now allowed on the San Juan National Forest, the agency notes.
The Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) announced the lifting of fire restrictions, stating the move was made in collaboration with Pagosa Fire Protection District.
“Please continue to follow safe burning practices and remember that in accordance with Archuleta County Resolution 18-2017, all open burning requires a permit. Permits can be purchased from Pagosa Fire Protection District at Station 1, 165 N Pagosa Blvd, Pagosa Springs,” the ACSO’s announcement states.
“With the recent abundant monsoonal weather, our fuel conditions have improved, and the fire load has decreased. Overall, conditions have improved to remove all fire restrictions,” said Tres Rios Field Office Field Manager Derek Padilla via a press release on Sept. 5.
“On August 11, fire restrictions were put in place in response to multiple wildfires across the state. Recent rainfall has improved moisture conditions in town, and the threat of wildfires has decreased,” a Town of Pagosa Springs announcement states.
It adds, “Residents should continue following local laws and regulations related to open fires, open burning, campfires, personal fireworks, and grills, based on the Town’s municipal code.”
Burning safely
The San Juan National Forest listed fire danger as moderate Wednesday.
The Forest Service notes that rescinding fire restrictions does not mean that fire danger has been eliminated.
“Rain is effective at improving the moisture content of light vegetation like grasses, but trees and brush require more consistent precipitation to recover from drought conditions. Precipitation has not reached all parts of the San Juan National Forest evenly, meaning fuels in some areas are still dry,” the agency stated on Sept. 4.
Visitors are encouraged to practice these principles of outdoor fire safety:
• Clear all flammable material within 3 feet of campfire rings.
• Make a fire only if you have a shovel and sufficient water to put it out.
• Never leave a fire unattended.
• Keep fires small and manageable.
• Extinguish fires completely. If it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot to leave. Every campfire should be put dead out before leaving it.
For information on the San Juan National Forest, call (970) 247-4874 or visit the forest website.
Year-round wildfire prevention restrictions on BLM-administered public lands in Colorado remain. Those found responsible for starting wildfires will also face restitution costs of suppressing the fire, the agency states.
These include prohibitions on:
• Leaving a fire unattended or unextinguished.
• Possession, discharge or use of any fireworks.
• Discharge of a firearm using incendiary or tracer ammunition.
• Burning, igniting or causing to burn any tire, wire, magnesium, or any other hazardous or explosive material.
• Operating any off-road vehicle on public lands unless the vehicle is equipped with a properly installed spark arrester pursuant to 43 CFR 8343.1 (c).
Fireworks are always prohibited on public lands. More information about fire prevention is available on the BLM website. Current fire prevention notices for the BLM Southwest District are posted at https://www.blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/fire-and-aviation/regional-information/colorado/southwest-district.
More rain expected
More moisture is expected in the coming days, with a flood watch issued Wednesday that is effective for 6 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 11, to midnight on Sept. 12.
“Excessive runoff from strong thunderstorms may result in debris flows and flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations,” it states.
The National Weather Center’s forecast shows that showers and thunderstorms are likely over the coming days, with a 60 percent chance of precipitation Thursday and Thursday night, an 80 percent chance on Friday and a 70 percent chance Friday night.
The chance for showers and thunderstorms drops to 40 percent on Saturday, with sunny skies predicted Sunday.
Saturday night’s low is forecast to be around 36 degrees.
Governor signs executive order for Oak Fire
On Sept. 8, Gov. Jared Polis memorialized his verbal disaster declarations for the Oak Fire that occurred in August and burned 75 acres.
“Pursuant to the authority vested in the Governor of the State of Colorado and, in particular, pursuant to Article IV, Section 2, of the Colorado Constitution and the relevant portions of the Colorado Disaster Emergency Act, C.R.S. § 24-33.5-701, et seq., I, Jared Polis, Governor of the State of Colorado, issue this Executive Order declaring a state of disaster emergency due to the Oak Fire in Archuleta County, enabling State and federal agencies to coordinate fire suppression, response, consequence management, mitigation, and recovery efforts,” the order states.
The order states Polis authorized employing “unarmed members of the Colorado National Guard for the purpose of supporting fire suppression and consequence management efforts as deemed necessary by the Colorado Department of Public Safety for the Oak Fire.”
The order explains the governor “is responsible for meeting the dangers to the State and people presented by disasters.”
It also notes the “Colorado Disaster Emergency Act defines a disaster as ‘the occurrence or imminent threat of widespread or severe damage, injury, or loss of life or property resulting from any natural cause or cause of human origin, including but not limited to fire.”
The order also recaps that, on Aug. 10, “the Oak Fire started in Archuleta County near Pagosa Springs and burned multiple structures and caused numerous evacuations on private land in the Wildland Urban Interface, threatening over 5,100 buildings and 2,000 homes. The number of required resources and management level needed for the rapidly evolving Oak Fire exceeded available resources at the local level.”
It continues, “As referenced in Executive Order D 2025 012, on August 10, 2025, at approximately 6:53 PM, I verbally declared a disaster emergency due to the Oak Fire in Archuleta County and activated the State of Colorado Emergency Operations Plan and directed the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to take all necessary and appropriate State actions to assist the affected jurisdictions with their fire suppression, response, consequence management, mitigation, and recovery efforts. At the same time, I verbally authorized employing unarmed members of the Colorado National Guard to respond to the Oak Fire by providing fire suppression and consequence management support.
“On August 11, 2025, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) for the Oak Fire, determining that the fire threatened such destruction that it would constitute a major disaster. The FMAG authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs.”
It notes that, as of Aug. 16, the fire had burned 75 acres and was 100 percent contained.
The order also lists declarations and directives, which include ordering state agencies to “pursue all available federal funding for response and recovery operations” and that $1,367,000 be transferred from the State Emergency Reserve Cash Fund to the Disaster Emergency Fund to “pay for fire suppression, response, consequence management, mitigation, and recovery efforts related to the Oak Fire.”
It also authorized the allocation of that funding to the appropriate government agencies and nonprofit organizations and “execute awards, purchase orders, or other mechanisms to effect the allocation of funds.”
The order is valid for 30 days from Aug. 10 unless extended further, but notes that the funds described “shall remain available for the described purposes” for 72 months from the date of the executive order.
randi@pagosasun.com
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