Pile Burning
See smoke on a snowy day? The Forest Service has created an interactive map that shows where planned and active pile burns are occurring. Check it out to see if that’s the smoke you’re seeing.
Fire Restrictions
As we prepare for more Red Flag Days here in Boulder County, here is some information to help explain the weather alert and fire restriction processes.
The National Weather Service (NWS) is responsible for issuing alerts for fire weather. These alerts include, but are not limited to, Red Flag Warnings, Fire Weather Watches, High Wind Watches/Warnings. Here is what these alerts mean.
Definitions of a Fire Weather Watch and a Red Flag Warning
The National Weather Service issues a Fire Weather Watch when the potential exists for elevated fire danger in the next 12 to 72 hours. A Red Flag Warning is issued when there is a high probability that the combination of dry fuels and weather conditions currently support extreme fire danger, or are expected to support extreme fire danger in the next 24 to 48 hours.
When the NWS issues an alert for fire weather, Boulder County automatically enacts County-Wide fire restrictions. When Boulder County is under Level 1 Fire Restrictions and a Red Flag Warning or Fire Weather Watch is issued by the NWS, the County automatically increases to Level 2 Fire Restrictions for a 24-hour period on the day of the alert.
Level 1 Fire Restrictions apply to all public lands and prohibit all open burning.
Level 2 Fire Restrictions apply to all public and private lands and prohibit all open burning.
Please see flyers linked below for a detailed explanation of what is allowed and what is NOT allowed during Level 1 and Level 2 Fire Restrictions.
The Sugarloaf Fire Department is not authorized to set any fire bans in our district. Our department follows all County ordinances when a ban is in place. If you have questions or concerns about fire restrictions in Boulder County, please contact the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office and the Boulder County Commissioners to voice your concerns.
The electronic sign at the bottom of the canyon is owned by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). They are responsible for updating all messaging for travelers in the canyon. If you have questions or concerns about this sign, please contact CDOT directly.
The Sugarloaf Fire Department’s mission is to provide the district with fire prevention, suppression, emergency medical and basic life support services, relief and assistance during human-caused and natural disasters and public education by effectively and safely utilizing the material and human resources available in the district. As part of this mission, Sugarloaf Fire Department will continue to post fire ban signs throughout the district as our members have availability, and we will be asking for volunteers to assist us with this effort each fire season.
Our cadre of volunteers are here to serve the Sugarloaf community 24/7. Our firefighters are patrolling on drier weekends and will continue to “staff up” during an active fire season. This increase in monitoring and patrolling takes additional time and resources and we ask for your continued patience and support.
We want to thank our community members for continuing to stay alert and vigilant during hot and dry conditions. Thank you for continuing to keep a watch out for unattended or abandoned campfires or any other hazards that require attention. We sincerely appreciate your support and thank you for helping us to serve this extraordinary mountain community.
You can view the current fire restrictions here.
For an explanation of the fire restriction levels, see below: