Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue responded to three separate fires over the July 4th holiday. The small, grass, spot fires were located near West End Storage, the Yampa Valley Medical Center and Clubhouse Drive near Highlands Way.
“These incidents remind us all just how dry conditions are across the community,” said Mel Stewart, Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue Chief. “While handled quickly, these situations had the potential to grow quickly and could have had significant effects for the entire community.”
An engine crew responded to two of the spot fires and a brush truck responded to the one on Clubhouse Drive. The fire on Clubhouse Drive came close to a structure and ignited several other small spot fires on the hillside. The brush crew was able to extinguish the fire and hot spots without harm to the structure. All three fires are under investigation.
The City of Steamboat Springs, Routt County and the entire Routt National Forest are currently under Stage I Fire Restrictions, which were implemented on Friday, June 29, 2018. If conditions deteriorate further, additional fire restrictions could be employed in the near future.
Under Stage I Fire Restrictions certain activities are prohibited, however, the public can still use charcoal fires for cooking (BBQ); may have recreational fires at private residences with a valid permit from Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue; and recreational/camp fires are allowed in permanent fire pits or fire grates in a developed picnic areas or camp grounds.
“With the fires around the state, I can’t stress it enough, please be careful, vigilant and use extreme caution,” expressed Stewart. “It only takes a spark and we could be dealing with something a whole lot larger.”
Please review the Stage I Fire Restrictions for permitted and prohibited activities and contact Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue for questions, 970.879.7170.
-WeServeTheCity-
Contact
Mel Stewart, Fire Chief, 970.879.7170 or email
Chuck Cerasoli, Deputy Chief, 970.871.7071 or email