15 minute read
SEE FIRES
as average temperatures have crept up and annual precipitation levels have decreased.
Schumacher said the increased temperatures are here to stay and the impact on the atmosphere is real.
“In the mountains and western Colorado, the increasing temperatures puts more stress on vegetation and soil,” he said. “When the air is hotter, it is thirstier for water. The atmosphere then wants to pull the moisture out of the soils and crops. Even if you have a normal amount of precipitation, it does not go as far.”
Along the Front Range, Schumacher said, 2021 has been a good year for snowfall and precipitation, but the effects of 2020 carry over.
In years like 2020, Schumacher said, the exceedingly hot temperatures with a lower-than-average level of snow and rainfall become the perfect setting for wildfi res.
In 2020, an estimated 700,000 acres burned in the state as the Cameron Peak Fire, East Troublesome Fire and the Pine Gulch Fire blazed through Colorado lands.
So far in 2021, the incident information system, InciWeb, estimates more than 25,000 acres have burned in seven different wildfi res reported throughout the state.
Daniel Beveridge, a wildfi re mitigation specialist for the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS), said climate change has created a new reality as offi cials manage state forest lands.
“With it being warmer and drier, it only intensifi es fi res, allowing them to burn faster,” he said. “The most important thing for people using public lands is to follow guidelines set by local jurisdictions. These warnings are not just created on a whim. They are not taken lightly, and they are important.”
According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, about 90% of wildfi res are human caused, with the other 10% coming from nature such as lightning strikes. It is important that people take responsibility and realize that an overheated car parked in dry weeds can spark a major fi re, Beveridge said.
Evergreen Fire Rescue Chief Mike Weege said covering more than 120 square miles of land in parts of Jefferson, Park and Clear Creek counties presents a lot of challenges.
Besides climate issues, Weege said the current state of some of the state’s forest lands provides added fuel that allows a wildfi re to get big fast. Dead, dry trees covering the forest fl oor have been a factor over the last few years, he said.
Firefi ghters from South Metro Fire Rescue Brush 33, based in Centennial, push back against the Cameron Peak Fire in the Arapa-
hoe and Roosevelt national forests in northern Colorado in August 2020. COURTESY PHOTO
SEE FIRES, P5
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South Metro Fire Rescue fi refi ghters Wes Polk, left, Travis McConnell, Todd Bramer and John Peterson left for a 14-day stint in California. Crews regularly help neighboring states fi ghting major wildfi res throughout
the year. COURTESY PHOTO
South Metro Fire crews head to California
STAFF REPORT
South Metro Fire Rescue crews have gone to California as part of a united effort in fi ghting wildfi res in the Western states.
According to the national Interagency Fire Center (IFC), more than 12,000 fi refi ghters have been deployed throughout the country to fi re nearly 60 large fi res burning, including the Beckwourth Complex in California, which has burned more than 100,000 acres.
Connor Christian, communications specialist for South Metro Fire Rescue, said the wildland team sent to California is based out of Station 20, a newly built fi re station in Highlands Ranch.
“We always have fi refi ghters on a deployment ready list in case wildfi res start in the state of Colorado or in states around the country,” Christian said. “When our department receives an order for wildland resources, we will send a variety of options.”
South Metro serves a large expanse of south Arapahoe and north Douglas counties.
In a Twitter post, fi refi ghters Wes Polk, Travis McConnell, Todd Bramer and John Peterson bid farewell to home, heading to California for 14 days. Christian said when this crew returns, if more help is still needed, South Metro will send out another crew.
Christian said in some cases, crews only get a few hours’ notice to deploy because a fi re is growing out of control. In this case, Christian said the four-man crew got notice overnight that they would be shipping out by morning on July 13.
Christian said a wildland deployment can consist of multiple fi re operations responsibilities, including providing structure protection, digging fi re lines, or serving as a look out for changes in the fi re’s behavior as it reacts to the weather.
Smoke billows from the Elephant Butte Fire the evening it started on July 13, 2020. The fi re forced a portion of the Evergreen community to evacuate. FILE PHOTO BY SHELLY BROBST
FIRES
“We have continued to see this unhealthy overgrowth in forests,” he said. “Add that to the increased heat we are dealing with, and you have more fi res.”
Last year, Weege said, fi re crews fought the Elephant Butte Fire in the middle of a populated area. While the fi re was contained after 54 acres, Weege said it could have been a lot worse.
Einar Jensen, South Metro Fire Rescue risk reduction specialist, said the “wildfi re season” label is creating a false sense of security. South Metro Fire provides fi re protection for 300 square miles in parts of Jefferson, Arapahoe and Douglas counties.
“It does not matter if it is in the hotter, drier part of the summer or in the winter, if the fuel for the fi re is ready to go, it’s ready to go,” Jensen said.
In Castle Rock, Fire Chief Norris Croom said preparedness is not about time of year, but about being ready all the time. That includes coordinating with other fi re departments to create a regional approach for the moment smoke is sighted.
In 2020, the Chatridge 2 Fire burned more than 460 acres near Highlands Ranch. Croom said if it were not for the coordinated effort between Castle Rock and South Metro Fire Rescue, more land and homes would have been destroyed.
In total, Castle Rock Fire and Rescue covers more than 66 square miles of land, including 34 square miles of the incorporated town, and 32 square miles of unincorporated land surrounding the town.
Hatlestad said when a report of smoke or fi re sightings comes in, all departments along then entire Front Range are on edge.
“Fire sees no political boundaries,” he said. “A wildfi re crosses town and county boundaries in minutes. All fi res start small, but in today’s climate, they can become massive quickly.”
In 2020, the wind, heat and dry air created the perfect environment for the East Toublesome Fire to cover 100,000 acres in less than 24 hours, Hatlestad said.
Weege said Evergreen relies heavily on state assistance if a fi re breaks out in the forest areas. Once a fi re gets into the trees, Weege said it not only spreads quickly, but requires the state’s air assistance to fi ght it from above.
In the more suburban communities, Thornton Fire Lt. Perry Otero said the department does not have a lot of calls for wildfi res, but they believe in a coordinated, cooperative approach for the good of the Front Range.
Otero said Thornton fi re crews are trained to handle wildland fi res and are able to send help to other counties and districts as needed.
A year later, the Elephant Butte burn scar near Evergreen includes many blackened lodgepole pines that still stand tall as skeletal reminders of the forest as it once
was. PHOTO BY GLENN WALLACE
The Douglas County Fair & Rodeo is ready to ride! Join us for the Parade!
The 2021 Douglas County Fair & Rodeo kicks off July 31 with the Fair and Rodeo Parade in downtown Castle Rock at 9:30 a.m.
Join your friends and neighbors July 31 - Aug. 8 for old-fashioned family fun. Visit Discovery Ranch and become a farmer for the day! Join in the stick-horse rodeo or pie-eating contest. Enjoy live music, classic fair food, as well as – a foodie’s favorite – food trucks. For more information, a schedule of events or to purchase tickets online visit FairandRodeoFun.com or call 720-733-6941.
The final section of the East/West Regional Trail is opening Saturday, July 24 at 9 a.m. and you are invited to join us near the Rueter-Hess Incline in Parker for an inaugural walk, run or ride to celebrate. Visit douglas. co.us/event/east-west-trail for details.
Persons with developmental disabilities need you
If you have a heart to serve consider joining the Douglas County Developmental Disabilities Mill Levy Advisory Council, the review committee for the annual Grant Program. Visit douglas.co.us and search for Developmental Disabilities to learn moreand apply by
July 27.
Help guide public health services delivery
Do you have the desire to be a community voice as Douglas County explores the public health needs of its residents and business community? Residents are needed to join the Public Health Advisory Committee. Apply by July 27 at douglas.co.us and search Public Health Advisory Committee. Register to receive Live Town Hall notifications
The next Live Town Hall - Wildfires Happen. Are You Ready? - will take place July 28 at 6:30 p.m. Sign up at douglas.co.us/townhall today to ensure you don’t miss this or future community conversations about topics you care about.
STRIVE
TO THRIVE
Resource & Service Fair Tuesday, July 27 from 4 - 6 p.m. Cherry Hills Community Church 3900 Grace Blvd. Highlands Ranch
Douglas County families who are struggling financially can receive back-to-school items for the kids and access resources from more than 20 different organizations. Attendees in need of school supplies must preregister at https://tinyurl.com/44ywd65s For more information visit douglas.co.us and search for Strive to Thrive.
Sheri ’s o ce says he was stealing from cars and mailboxes beforehand
STAFF REPORT
A man who shot at Douglas County sheriff’s deputies from a stolen car as they were trying to pull it over was sentenced to 48 years in prison, according to a news release from the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Offi ce.
Douglas County District Court Judge Theresa Slade sentenced Peirce Langewisch, 22, to the maximum prison time allowed under the plea agreement.
“You don’t get to shoot at law enforcement offi cers and get a slap on the wrist,” said District Attorney John Kellner, according to the release. “He was committing crimes, and when the deputies moved to intercept the car he was in, he escalated the situation and put passersby as well as deputies in danger. For that, he will be incarcerated for a lengthy time.”
On Nov. 27, 2018, Douglas County sheriff’s deputies spotted a possible stolen vehicle that ran a red light about 3 a.m. on South Broadway. When they followed the car, it began weaving and accelerated, reaching speeds of between 100 mph and 120 mph on C-470, according to the release.
Other deputies assisted in trying to stop the car. Near Park Meadows mall, Langewisch, the rear-seat passenger, fi red a gun at deputies, who returned fi re, the release said. The car attempted to elude deputies by racing through residential neighborhoods — with shots coming out of the back window — until it crashed on Dry Creek Road near I-25.
According to the release, as deputies tried to take the car’s occupants into custody, the suspects did not obey commands and deputies shot at the car. The driver, Nicholas Ryan, 19, was killed. The front seat passenger, Jason Sutton, 21, was injured. Langewisch was not injured and was taken into custody.
“The job of a law enforcement officer has become increasingly more dangerous, especially with individuals like this who blatantly, for no apparent reason, just shoot at the police. He needs to understand the ramifications of his actions,” said Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock, according to the release. “We welcome the sentence in this case and are extremely grateful to all those who worked so hard the last few years to bring the defendants to justice.” The investigation revealed the three were in the stolen vehicle and stealing from mailboxes and cars before they were spotted by a deputy, the release said. Ryan gave Langewisch the gun during the incident, and Langewisch admitted to detectives that he shot at the deputies as Ryan tried to elude them, according to the release.
The 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Offi ce determined the deputies’ use of lethal force was justifi ed.
Sutton pleaded guilty Oct. 11,
2019, to one count of vehicular eluding, a Class 5 felony; and one count of fi rst-degree trespassing of a vehicle, a Class 5 felony. Other counts were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. He was sentenced to three years in the Colorado Department of Corrections. Langewisch pleaded guilty on March 1 to two counts of attempted fi rst-degree murder of a peace offi cer, a Class 2 felony; and one count of possession of a weapon by a previous offender, a Class 6 felony. Other counts were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. Chief Deputy District Attorney Gary Dawson prosecuted the cases with Deputy District Attorney Joel Zink. During the sentencing hearPeirce ing on July 9, Zink noted Langewisch Langewisch’s previous criminal history, as well as numerous incidents since he had been in the Douglas County jail. “This defendant has made his intentions clear: As soon as he is released, he plans to go out and do the exact same kinds of things that put him behind bars,” Zink said, according to the release. “There is no remorse, contrition or any interest in rehabilitation on his part. The maximum sentence allowed is appropriate.”
John Kellner,
18th Judicial district attorney, in a news release
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Fundraiser focuses on mermaid magic
BY SONYA ELLINGBOE SELLINGBOE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Over the years, the Douglas County Library Foundation has delivered funding and resources such as scholarships to attend special programs and Camp DCL, plus aid for adults who want to achieve high school graduation goals.
The foundation will hold its fi rst fundraising event for families with children ages 4-10, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Lone Tree library branch, 10055 Library Way, on Aug. 28. And kids are invited to this special party.
The event is a spinoff of the foundation’s annual Fete des Fables Gala for grownups, which celebrates a different literary fable each year — and what could be more appropriate than the Hans Christian Andersen classic, drawn from Scandinavian mythology?
Jaime Gotlieb, DCL’s community services and partnership manager, said the Lone Tree location “will be transformed into the undersea world of Ariel and her friends for an evening, offering photo ops and stories with mermaids, music, food and drinks.”
Families will purchase tickets in advance ($50 per adult, $25 per child) and enjoy a catered menu from dining stations such as Prince Eric’s Poke Bowl, Ariel’s Shells and Cheese and Over the Top Hot Dogs, capped off with chocolate delights and a cotton candy bar.
Perhaps parents will want to reread the story or revisit the popular fi lm with small family members to further enhance the experience in August — multiple versions should be available at your friendly library — or perhaps on the family’s bookshelf.
Young visitors are encouraged to come dressed as mermaids — or undersea creatures — and will also enjoy crafts and make and takes such as Ursula’s Magic Potion and a Salty Sea Scrub ... as well as face painting, a live DJ, theatrical performances and special mermaid storytelling.
A Shell Pull, where guests pay $10 to pick a shell and win a stuffed sea animal, valued from $5 to $50, will be happening.
And guests may also take part in a silent auction, with all proceeds benefi ting the DPL Foundation. You may win something fabulous!
Thanks to these scholarships and fi nancial support, customers will grow and thrive through the library district’s many programs ... kids will learn new shills and discover more fabulous characters.
Also planned: The Annual Fete des Fables Gala — the Little Mermaid for adults on September 24 — visit DCL.org/fete-des-fables/gala for information and tickets.
