Firefighters from 30 states battle wildfires in Colorado

(The Center Square) - Seven fires have burned through over 200,000 acres of Colorado’s expansive terrain, with over 1,800 personnel being deployed from more than 30 states to fight the fires. 

That's according to data from InciWeb and doesn't include three wildfires that are 100% contained.

The Aspen Acres Fire in southwest Pueblo has burned over 99,000 acres with 36% containment, according to InciWeb. The Ferris Fire in Dolores County has 43% containment, mostly in the San Juan National Forest and has burned nearly 65,000 acres. Those numbers are as of late Wednesday afternoon.

The Center Square previously reported on that the Aspen Acres Fire became the No. 1 priority for firefighting efforts in the entire nation, with Colorado seen as the top priority in the western states. 

Wildfires are not unique to the Rocky Mountain state, however, as other neighboring Western states have dealt with the threat of disastrous wildfires in recent years. 

Due to the combination of arid climates, an abundance of flammable vegetation, frequent lightning storms and higher human activity, wildfires are more prone to occur and result in detrimental damage in the western states. 

For example, in 2024, California had over 8,300 wildfires that burned over 1 million acres. Oregon, despite having only 2,232 fires in the state, over 1.8 million acres were burned. Relatedly, Arizona had over 285,000 acres burned across 2,191 fires in the same year. 

Tiffany Davila, the public affairs officer with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, said to 12news that the department also goes out of state to fight fires as well. Davila noted an an understanding of the West's vast climates and ecosystems is a crucial component to understanding how to effectively fight fire. 

“There's different vegetation types, different landscapes, different terrain,” she said. Davila explained that once firefighters gain that knowledge and experience, they can bring it back to Arizona and “help grow and mentor other firefighters that are up and coming."

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Colorado in particular is having a difficult time identifying the potential threats of wildfires and fire behavior. This can be exemplified in a November 2021 report released by Colorado Public Radio, which revealed that Colorado ranks the lowest among other western states in their ability to identify and solve large, human-started wildfires. 

The report stated that between 2000 and 2018, investigators were only able to determine a mere 43% of the state’s largest wildfires. 

It also found that humans remain at fault for nearly nine of every 10 wildfires. Many fires occur in rural areas with volunteer firefighters who have little to no investigative training to identify how these fires started, according to the report.

To learn more about Colorado wildfire management, The Center Square interviewed Camille Stevens-Rumann, associate professor of forest and rangeland stewardship at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

She explained that the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control works with federal agencies like the Interagency Fire Center to manage fire suppression and preparedness across the state and nation. Command teams and firefighter resources are employed through other federal agencies such as the Department of Interior. 

Stevens-Rumann called the Aspen Acres fire truly “tragic” and argued that “we need to use more fire on the ground to mitigate these wildfires.” 

“We know that fire is our best resource to fight subsequent extreme wildfires, but there is a lot of risk in using it," she said. "Prescribed fires and controlled burns are one of the biggest barriers to subsequent fires. It is the best preemptive task we can take to mitigate further fires."

Prescribed burns are used to reduce wildfire risks such as potential fuel loads and restore natural woodlands, according to the U.S. National Park Service.

Camille Stevens-Rumann further noted that full suppression of wildfires is what has put the U.S. at increased risk of fires. She also said climate change plays a significant part in increasing number of natural disasters.