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Colorado National Guard activated for wildfire response in Colorado for first time in 2 1/2 years

July 31, 2024 / 5:51 PM MDT / CBS Colorado

Colorado leaders provide update on numerous wildfires, including Alexander Mountain and Stone Canyon

Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday morning ordered a wildfire-related Colorado National Guard activation for the first time since 2021.

Colorado National Guard members riding in a troop carrier in Boulder in 2013 Christopher Rogers/Corbis via Getty Images

It has been more than 2 1/2 years since the destructive Marshall Fire in Boulder County. That was the last time Colorado's governor issued an order for the guard to respond to a wildfire burning in the state.

Soldiers from the Colorado National Guard will be helping with the response to the Alexander Mountain Fire burning in Larimer County as well as other fires on the Front Range.

"And to be clear, the Colorado National Guard are not the firefighters. They are the ones who are able to take additional support positions -- road closures, logistics -- then free up other first responders to more directly respond to the fire," said Gov. Jared Polis in a Wednesday afternoon news conference.

Polis said the guard will be in place near several wildfires starting Wednesday evening.

"We're transitioning some of those traffic and logistics-related functions to the Colorado National Guard who stands ready."

Jesse Sarles

Jesse Sarles manages the web content and publishing operations for CBS Colorado. He writes articles about Colorado news and sports in and around the Denver area.