4 Lone Tree Voice
April 21, 2022
Small grass fires burned in two areas of Littleton Cause of fires is undetermined BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
@douglascountyco
Your voice will help us protect your home and our community Douglas County is updating its Community Wildfire Protection Plan – a document that defines how we can proactively protect life and property. The first step in updating this plan is your input, by completing a short survey. Visit douglas.co.us/cwpp-survey to complete the survey by April 26.
Building records now available online How often have you wondered where your home’s property line ends, and your neighbor’s begins? Do you need to schedule a building inspection and yet remembered to do it after business hours? To access publicly available records and documents visit https://apps.douglas.co.us/building/services
Need flood zone information? If you live in unincorporated Douglas County, Flood Insurance Rate Maps and zone information are available by request. Visit douglas.co.us and search for Flood Plain Information. A form may also be requested by calling 303-660-7490 or visiting Public Works, 100 Third St. in Castle Rock.
What’s happening with your County government? Our commitment to open and transparent government includes online posting of information about public meetings at which the business of government is conducted. To view public meeting agendas, participate in-person or remotely, or watch select meetings via live stream visit douglas.co.us and search for Meetings and Agendas.
Two small grass fires burned at Ketring Park in Littleton the night of April 11. After the flames were extinguished around 8:30 p.m., another fire was reported about three miles away at Reynolds Landing shortly before midnight, according to South Metro Fire Rescue spokesperson Eric Hurst. At least three calls were made to 911, the first at 8:21 p.m., about the fire at Ketring, Hurst said, with a call to police made at 11:49 p.m. regarding the Reynolds fire. The fires, which Hurst said were slow mov-
WILDFIRE FROM PAGE 1
Alexander spoke about the specific risks faced by Douglas County. “Wildfire is the number one natural hazard in Douglas County,” he said. “More than 80% of our residents in Douglas County live within some measure of wildland urban interface risk.” The county has seen a more than 60% increase in the 5-year average of fire occurrence since the period from 2006 to 2010, Alexander said. Alexander said they expect that increase to continue unless there is a drastic change in the climate or residents’ personal habits. “Current predictions for the year, for this coming summer and fire season into next winter are predicting warmer and drier than average local conditions,” said Mike Alexander with the Office of Emergency Management. “We are currently facing a fair amount of risk within the county.” The exclusive-use contract, which parks a 300-gallon-tank helicopter in the county to respond to wildfires, is for about $1 million. Three other contracts for call-whenneeded aerial support from April 13
ing, were all extinguished within minutes. The fires were about 10 feet by 10 feet, Hurst said. No injuries were reported, and no structures were threatened, Hurst said. South Metro did not post any information about the fires on social media or release any statements. “When fires are small in size and aren’t threatening any structures, generally, we don’t make social media posts about them unless they’re widely visible or have a long duration to extinguish,” Hurst said. “Of course, any fire always feels too close to home for any of us.” The cause of the fires is undetermined, Hurst said, adding that no evidence or suspects were identified at the scene. But he said it’s a “safe assumption that all of these fires SEE FIRES, P5
to Dec. 21 were approved for about J $300,000 altogether. h Alexander included that the fi median sale price of single-family c homes in Douglas County was s $706,000 in February this year. The commissioners unanimously approved the contract and spoke in support of the effort to mitigate wildfires. “When you think about the very small investment that we make into aerial support, we are getting a remarkable return on investment,” Commissioner Abe Laydon said. This is the largest-ever investment in wildfire aerial support in the county’s history, according to a news release from the county. “There is no more effective way to suppress a wildfire, save lives and protect property than with the combination of aerial resources working in direct support of ground firefighters,” said Alexander, who has 22 years of experience fighting wildfires. The county also provides resources to help residents mitigate wildfire risk on their property by removing weeds and vegetation. More information is available at douglas.co.us/wildfire-mitigation. Residents can sign up for phone call emergency notifications by visiting douglas.co.us/codered.
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