If our ski towns and resorts burn, the impact on our economy will last decades. Thankfully, there are efforts to improve wildfire safety and mitigation; but, we need to work faster and do more in our forests.
California has been getting megafires and, inevitably, so will Colorado, Vail Fire and Emergency Services Chief Mark Novak said.
“What we’re seeing today in Colorado is very similar to what California was seeing in the early years of the 2000s, from 2003 to 2007,” Novak said. “I believe that in 10 to 15 years, we will see the same type of fire that California was seeing in 2017, 2018 and 2020. I think that (East Troublesome) was just the first case of what we will see in the future.”
In November, just weeks after the East Troublesome made its run, Novak told Vail Town Council members that their community can someday expect something similar.
“I am here to tell you that fire burned extremely well and extremely fast through every fuel type,” he said. “It burned literally through aspen groves. It burned through beetle kill. It burned through green stands. It burned through sage (brush). It burned through farmers’ fields that were stubble. This was not necessarily a beetle-kill problem,” he said. “We should not rationalize that this kind of fire would not occur in Vail.
www.rotarywildfireready.com/
In our mountain communities, wildfires are a major hazard. Residents are urged to take steps now to assess their wildfire risk, safeguard their homes and prepare for wildfire. You not only increase the safety of your property, but more importantly, you increase the safety of your family. We can help! See our website for helpful resources and information.
