Early winter weather helps dampen Colorado's remaining wildfires

A hot and busy fire season might be drawing to a close thanks to early winter weather across Colorado.

Flames leaped to the sky, thousands of acres burned and people and structures were threatened this summer in one of the state’s worst wildfire seasons. Some fires raced across grassland while others lit up forests in the mountains, sending plumes of smoke into the air.

Freezing temperatures and early snow in the mountains are helping to draw an end to the fire season. Vail and the surrounding areas are expected to receive 4 to 6 inches of snow over the next two days, along with many other mountain areas, according to the National Weather Service. The cold will stick around throughout the week across the state as firefighters slow down their work.

While winter weather will dampen the fires, danger still remains.

“Despite snow at higher elevations and cooler overall temperatures, National Forest visitors and particularly hunters are advised to use caution when building and maintaining campfires,” officials said in a news release about the Ryan Fire in northern Colorado.

The Ryan Fire is currently 60 percent contained and has burned 28,585 acres.

“We are a little bit gun shy to say it is completely ending things,” said Aaron Voos, a spokesman for Routt National Forest.

Many of this year’s wildfires where naturally caused, sparked by lighting strikes. Other fires were human-caused; a man was recently sentenced to community service for starting a fire near Fruita.

Talk of snow is fueling stoke for the coming winter of snowsports. Even four-legged Coloradans are excited about the coming snow, as seen in a photo of a goggle-wearing dog at Loveland Ski Area.

“It is certainly putting a hurt on fire season,” Voos said.

Firefighters have been waiting for season-ending weather, like a big rain or snow storm, but only received light drizzles and occasional humidity in September. Throughout late summer, Colorado shattered heat records that stoked fires into September. Even in Denver, the city saw a hot streak that lasted longer than any other September heatwave on record.

With the first phase of winter weather setting in across the state, firefighters hope the cold and snow will be the last straw to finally put out the fires. Wildfires that are still active, such as the Ryan Fire, are transitioning to local teams of firefighters and officials are rescinding fire restrictions.

Prescribed burns south of Colorado Springs are choking out fuel for future fires.

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