Hickenlooper: More Firefighting Resources In Colorado Than Other States In Mountain West
DENVER (CBS4)- Gov. John Hickenlooper is commending the firefighters and other emergency responders as wildfires continue to burn across Colorado.
"This is one of the driest years we've had on record in a really long time," said Hickenlooper.
HIckenlooper talked about the firefighting efforts and the resources Colorado has available at the state Capitol on Wednesday.
The 416 Fire has burned more than 27,000 acres and is only 15 percent contained. Some evacuations for that fire have been lifted.
The Buffalo Fire has forced thousands of evacuations in Silverthorne. It remains at 91 acres but was zero percent contained on Wednesday morning.
Hickenlooper says that Colorado, through trial and error, is prepared for wildfire season.
"We have more firefighting resources in Colorado than any other state in the Mountain West. And we have, through hard experience, learned how to integrate and coordinate our efforts between federal resources and state resources, county and municipal resources to make sure that we have a synergy there."
Hickenlooper joined Senators Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner, along with Rep. Scott Tipton, on a tour of the wildfire on Tuesday. He says another big threat to that area is the economic impact of the fire.
PHOTO GALLERY: 416 Fire
"Durango is open for business. The fire is north of the city, it did not jump the road. Durango's greatest risk right now is people canceling visits," said Hickenlooper. "If you want to help the people of Durango and La Plata country, go down and visit."
Wildfire Resources
- Visit CBSDenver.com's Living With Wildfire section.
Wildfire Photo Galleries
- See images from the most destructive wildfires (Black Forest, Waldo Canyon, High Park and Fourmile), the deadliest (Storm King) and largest wildfire (Hayman) in Colorado history.