“You can look at a piece of brush and just yell ‘fire’ and it will start.” That’s how Montezuma County Sheriff Steve Nowlin described current drought conditions to the county commissioners at their workshop on Monday. He was presenting the board with a routine cooperative agreement with the state for fighting wildfires.
Lack of precipitation is a growing concern in the area. The National Integrated Drought Information System says in recent weeks, conditions in Cortez have worsened from moderate to severe drought.
Longtime local weather observer James Andrus said in an email that January precipitation in Cortez was just 15 one-hundredths of an inch, which is 14 percent of the average for the month. Andrus said snowfall for the entire winter so far amounted to just 25 percent of normal.
The high temperature on January 4 of 59 degrees set a record, surpassing the previous record from 1956 of 55 degrees. No record-low temperatures were set in January.
Some precipitation is expected this week around the area, but the dent it will put in the current drought is expected to be minimal.
Nowlin told the commissioners on Monday that he recently put out information offering tips for safe agricultural burning. He said the Lewis-Arriola Fire Department has already responded to a half-dozen out-of-control burns this year.
The following was shared by the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office as information for safe agricultural burning:
The Division of Fire Prevention and Control has seen an uptick in human-caused fire starts in Dolores, Montezuma, La Plata, and Archuleta counties over the past few weeks. Many of these are a result of escaped agricultural burns. While no Red Flag Warnings have been issued, fuels in the lower elevations of SW Colorado are abnormally dry and receptive to burning, especially in windy conditions. Please exercise caution when burning ditches or fields, and do your homework before you start.
TIPS FOR SAFE AGRICULTURAL BURNING:
• Evaluate conditions first. Only burn on low-wind days and burn in the morning when humidity is higher. Winds typically pick up in the afternoon, so plan your day to have your burn done and out early.
• Let your neighbors and your local 911 dispatch center know about your plans to burn.
• Burn into the wind to slow the spread of the fire. Keep debris piles small.
• Never leave a fire unattended and stay until all flames are completely out. Have helpers on hand.
• Cover burn barrels with a weighted metal cover with holes no larger than 3/4 of an inch.
• Keep a water source available and adequate tools or equipment nearby to extinguish unwanted fire spread or creep.
• Call 911 immediately if your burn gets out of hand.
