Gov. Jared Polis: Colorado's three large Front Range wildfires were likely caused by people
UPDATE: On Aug. 9 investigators officially announced that the Alexander Mountain Fire was human caused. They also made a specific request for tips in their investigation.
Gov. Jared Polis says the Quarry Fire, Alexander Mountain Fire and Stone Canyon Fire all appear to be human caused.
In a one-on-one interview with CBS Colorado's Political Reporter Shaun Boyd, the governor said the state is better positioned than it's ever been to fight fires, but he says Coloradans need to do their part.
"If this same fire had happened 3 to 4 years ago, we probably wouldn't have any aircraft on it yet because they're all spoken for. We may have gotten one or two in today. We wouldn't have had any in yesterday. We have eight aircraft, helicopters, fixed wing aircraft. We have two that have come down from Wyoming to help. We absolutely have sufficient manpower," Polis said. "I think what we're concerned about is sustaining this for several weeks. And then we're concerned about -- we know we're dry and hot -- what if there's three more like these three?"
The Division of Fire Prevention and Control says all of the state's aircraft and engines are working the fires along with all but two of its crews that were sent out of state before the fire danger here was so high. The governor says other states are now helping Colorado.
"We now have hotshot crews from other states that are here on the ground," Polis said.
But he says he's worried about resources as the summer drags on.
Prevention, he says, is key.
"We don't have the full analysis on the cause of each of these fires, but we believe at this point that all of them were human caused. When things are hot and dry that means things you might normally enjoy doing -- campfires, dispersed shooting outside a range, fireworks -- you shouldn't be doing," he said.
Polis also urged homeowners to do mitigation, noting there are state grants to help.
"I've personally seen the effect of this. When I go to some of these burn scars, you see 'Here's a house that was destroyed, here's a house that was destroyed, this one wasn't.' What's the difference? 'This person in the middle did mitigation.'"
The governor had a message as well for those who live near the fires.
"No county sheriff ever says lightly we need to evacuate this area. When that comes down, you get your stuff, your loved ones, your pets, and you go. We don't want unnecessary loss of life simply because people said, I ain't going anywhere," he said.
He says the federal government has agreed to pay 75% of the wildfire fighting costs. He is hoping it will pick up the other 25% but, he says, the state has a reserve fund specifically for these kinds of disasters.
