Fire officials across the region and state are preparing for the upcoming season, with the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) releasing its fire outlook and preparedness plan on April 24, and regional agencies meeting earlier this week.
As of Wednesday, April 30, the U.S. Forest Service’s San Juan National Forest listed the fire danger status at high for the upper zone (high elevation) and moderate for the lower zone (low elevation).
Fire, drought and
snowpack
According to the DFPC’s fire outlook, current forecasts indicate that normal fire potential is expected across Colorado for April through July, except for southwestern Colorado, which will likely be above normal due to the continued drought and expected hot, dry weather before the monsoon develops.
Fire potential in May, according to the DFPC, will be normal across the entire state, then June will see southwestern Colorado with above-normal potential due to drought and anticipated hot, dry weather. July is expected to see the monsoon arrive with more regular chances for showers and thunderstorms.
Pagosa Fire Protection District (PFPD) Chief Robert Bertram and Archuleta County Sheriff Mike Le Roux indicated in separate interviews that area agencies who deal with fire met Tuesday to discuss the weather and upcoming season.
Bertram explained that, earlier in the year, officials were comparing this year’s conditions to 2018, but that the area is looking better than 2018 thanks to recent moisture and that green-up has started earlier this year than it did in 2018.
“We’re better right now in May” than in May of 2018 possibly, Le Roux stated.
“Initial predictions look like it’s supposed to get, you know, drier. May’s going to be kind of a tell-tale sign, but they are predicting the monsoons to come in on time,” Bertram said.
He added that the early fire season is where more of the concern in and what they’re watching.
Le Roux indicated while there could be more moisture coming, the fire season will also depend on what the area sees with the dry lightning storms that come through.
Le Roux noted the recent thunderstorm resulted in a single-tree strike and may have caused another fire that showed up days later.
“Our bigger issue right now is the people problem and the lack of responsible burning we’ve had by people,” Le Roux said.
Le Roux noted there have been a number of legitimate agricultural burns get out of control in the Arboles area, as well as a couple of pile burns and other controlled burns that got out of control.
He added the sheriff’s office has already enforced multiple noncompliant burns.
Bertram also discussed that there have already been some fires this spring.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, all of Archuleta County is currently in drought.
Most of Archuleta County is in severe drought, with portions of eastern Archuleta County in extreme drought, according to the most recent drought map — a factor Le Roux pointed out.
Area snowpack is also below normal.
As of Wednesday, April 30, the San Miguel, Dolores, Animas and San Juan River basins were at 28 percent of the day’s median snowpack, according to SNOTEL data published by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The Upper San Juan SNOTEL site was at 4 percent of the day’s median snowpack, with the site having 1 inch of snow water equivalent (SWE) as of April 30. The April 30 median SWE at the site is 23.8 inches.
The median peak SWE at the site is 29.7 inches, with a median peak date of April 9.
The nearby Wolf Creek summit SNOTEL site was at 32 percent of the day’s median on April 30, with 11.2 inches of SWE. That compares to a median of 34.6 inches of SWE.
The median peak for the site is 35.5 inches, with a median peak date of April 29.
Le Roux noted that he would rather have a monsoon season than a huge winter, noting that 2022-2023 was a pretty big snow year, but the area still had several large fires.
“At the end of the day, it still melts off here,” he said, adding if there’s no monsoon, everything dries out.
Preparing for fire
“In Colorado, we are no stranger to the impact of devastating wildfires,” said Gov. Jared Polis via an April 24 press release from the state. “We remain focused on aggressively implementing effective mitigation efforts to prevent wildfires and ensure our brave firefighters have the resources needed to protect us and our communities when a wildfire starts. We understand that wildfire season is year-round, and that is why our mitigation efforts and investments in new technology, aerial equipment and first responders are so important to the safety of the entire state. The federal cuts to wildfire services are troubling, and we continue to urge the administration to remain at the table with states.”
“The 2025 Wildfire Preparedness Plan outlines a comprehensive approach to wildfire management that includes suppression and response, fuels and forest management, and mitigation activities,” explained DFPC Director Mike Morgan via the press release. “Colorado, in partnership with local, state and federal agencies, is prepared to respond to wildfires by focusing on early detection and rapid initial response to minimize fire size, duration, impact and costs.”
Le Roux highlighted that the state has a lot of resources in the region, including aerial assets.
He added that he has not seen a reduction in federal firefighting resources, stating the “boots-on-the-ground ability to engage hasn’t been curtailed.”
He also noted the area has lightning-mapping capabilities, allowing resources to go to areas where fires may be suspected due to lightning quicker.
Bertram and Le Roux also discussed local improvements that will help with fires.
The PFPD, Bertram explained, increased its staffing this year to five paid firefighters per shift, up from four, with continued 24/7 coverage.
Le Roux noted the PFPD didn’t have 24/7 coverage in 2018 and that it also puts the area ahead of where it was in 2018.
The PFPD also recently purchased a wildland truck that Bertram noted is already in service.
The sheriff’s office restructured its Office of Emergency Management, Le Roux explained, with Roy Vega now leading the division.
Vega, Le Roux highlighted, has at least 18 years of wildland fire experience and comes from a federal background, including work with the San Juan Hotshots.
Stanley Okazaki has moved into the deputy director’s role, Le Roux added, and Carson Laverty, who would have been starting his fifth fire season as a seasonal firefighter with the county, is joining the staff on a full-time basis.
Le Roux explained the sheriff’s office deputies have also done training, with the deputies now carrying hand tools and 5-gallon buckets of water and responding to every fire.
That, he noted, in addition to helping more quickly, “gives incoming resources situational awareness” and can help deal with the law enforcement side quicker in the event of an illegal burn or arson.
The sheriff’s office can also now employ drones to help with thermal and other imaging to help determine the location and status of a fire to allow officials to respond more efficiently, he indicated.
“We’ve used our drone ... primarily on fires,” he said.
He also highlighted that six members of the Archuleta County Road and Bridge staff have earned their red cards, which makes them eligible to work on federal fires and to run heavy equipment for fires.
“To have six red-carded Road and Bridge personnel, that’s a force multiplier,” he said, noting the county’s water trucks each have a capacity of 4,500 gallons.
Le Roux indicated the area agencies have a really good working relationship and will all be involved when fires start.
“Everybody is gonna be involved in every way, shape or form we can this season,” he said.
The state’s 2025 Wildfire Preparedness Plan is available at https://bit.ly/2025-DFPC-WPP.
The San Juan National Forest was unable to comment for this story, citing a seven-day turnaround for media requests.
County alert system
Le Roux encouraged all citizens to sign up for Nixle, the county’s community notification system.
For more on Nixle and to sign up, visit https://archuletacounty.org/569/Citizens-Alert---NIXLE.
Le Roux also noted that, in the event of an emergency, he has the ability to send out a message to everyone in Archuleta County, similar to how Amber Alerts are pushed to every phone within an area.
