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High Fire Danger Persists for Western Slope and Northern Plains

Colorado National Guard Battles Lower North Fork Fire
The National Guard
Colorado National Guard Battles Lower North Fork Fire

Warm and windy weather over the weekend will keep large portions of the state at a heightened risk of wildfires. 

Red flag warnings because of high fire danger have been issued for much of the Western Slope and Northern Plains. Steve Segin, spokesman for the Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center says they’re prepared and have resources on hand in case another large fire occurs.

“We have a heavy helicopter that was  brought in for the Lower North Fork Fire, that’s still available. Single engine tankers as well as heavy air tankers are available. There’s a number of state hand crews and another state hot shot crew that was brought in for the Lower North Fork Fire. So we have a lot of resources in the area that we can move as needed," he says.

Dry brush and strong winds helped spread the recent 4,000 acre Lower North Fork Fire. That fire damaged or destroyed more than two dozen homes southwest of Denver.

The National Weather Service is advising extreme caution saying that even simple burns on farms or ranches can easily grow out of control.

My journalism career started in college when I worked as a reporter and Weekend Edition host for WEKU-FM, an NPR member station in Richmond, KY. I graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a B.A. in broadcast journalism.
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