Greg Heavener bent down to scoop up a handful of grass. He walked toward the podium and showed to a row of news cameras outside of the Colorado Springs Fire Department what was in his hands.

“Fuel,” he said.

Heavener is the warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Pueblo. And on Monday, he spoke at a press conference with law enforcement and fire officials about an “unprecedented fire season” before a burn ban and fire restriction orders were put into place for the foreseeable future.

“I wish I had better news,” Heavener said, “but (almost) every day there’s a red flag in place. Everything is very receptive. Keep in mind, something could take off, even with a little bit of wind.”

To show how dry conditions are in the Pikes Peak region, he picked up some dry grass in front of him. He said this vegetation is fuel that can help fires spread quickly and cause serious damage.

“What we have now, we expect to have over the summer,” Heavener said, referring to the region’s lack of moisture.

A burn ban in Colorado Springs and fire restrictions in Fountain and unincorporated El Paso County went into effect Monday afternoon. The orders — which come almost two weeks before Memorial Day weekend, a popular time for such outdoor activities as camping — will be in place until further notice.

The burn ban was ordered after several blazes broke out in the city last week, including one that killed a woman at a Colorado Springs mobile home park. Another fire on the city’s northeast side, called the Akerman fire, resulted in about 20 structures damaged and an arrest of a man on suspicion of firing woods or prairie.

“I can’t think any of the fires that we’ve had that haven’t been caused by human behavior in the recent past,” said Brett Lacey, the city’s fire marshal.

While law enforcement and fire officials told the public to be careful with outdoor activities, the weather service’s Heavener came to the press conference armed with staggering statistics to show that the region is going through “unprecedent” times. This includes:

• Last month tied El Paso County’s driest April on record with only a trace of snowfall. That number, 0.01 inches of precipitation, was set in the 1880s.
• From April 1 to Monday, El Paso County had 30 days of red flag warnings, which is “well above” typical numbers in April and May. April usually has about 10 red flag warnings, but there were 20 last month. May averages about five red flag warnings; so far this month, there have been seven.
• So far this year, Colorado Springs’ precipitation is 2 inches below normal.

The decision to restrict outdoor burning came after discussions with state fire officials — including those with the Pikes Peak Region Wildfire Preparedness Group — and “current and forecasted drought conditions, exceptionally dry fuel moisture levels (and) increases in grass fire occurrence on undeveloped areas,” Colorado Springs fire officials said in a news release.

Punishment for those who violate the order, the fire department said, includes up to a $2,500 fine, jail time or probation, or a combination of the three. The violations will be investigated as a misdemeanor or felony crime.

For more information, visit coswildfireready.org/burn-ban.

Burn Ban Guide – External – May 2022 (3).pdf

Also in effect is a Stage 2 fire restriction in Fountain and unincorporated El Paso County.

The restriction, in both jurisdictions, includes:

• Open burning, excepting fires and campfires within permanently constructed fire grates in developed campgrounds and picnic grounds; charcoal grills and wood burning stoves at private residences in areas cleared of all flammable materials
• The sale or use of fireworks
• Outdoor smoking except within an enclosed vehicle or building

In Fountain, additional restrictions include:

• Recreational fires and bonfires
• Charcoal grills/outdoor wood burning stoves
• Outdoor smoking is only allowed in an enclosed vehicle or building
• The sale or use of fireworks
• Outdoor blasting, welding or use of acetylene or other torch with open flames are only allowed with permits by the city of Fountain Fire Marshal

Those who violate the restrictions could be fined up to $1,000.

Crews on Friday sort through the charred remains of a fire that destroyed seven mobile homes and left one person dead Thursday on North Cascade Avenue in Colorado Springs.

Christian Murdock, The Gazette