FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Office of Gov. John
Hickenlooper
Eric Brown, 303-547-5308 c
Megan Castle, 303-513-2713 c
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Governor
lifts statewide fire ban, local bans may still be in place
DENVER —
Sunday, July 8, 2012 — Gov. John Hickenlooper today lifted a
statewide fire ban because extreme fire conditions have abated in all 64
Colorado counties as a result of current rainfall and short- and long-term
forecasts predicting cooler and wetter weather. Local fire restrictions may
still be in place.
“Mother
Nature is finally giving us some relief,” Hickenlooper said.
“Even though the 2012 wildfire season is far from over and still
challenging, we believe conditions are such that local authorities and
federal land managers ought to resume control over fire bans in their
jurisdictions. Many counties have fire bans in place that will not change as
a result of this Executive Order.”
More than 60
counties are forecast to move to moderate or low danger over the next seven
days, though the wildfire season will continue for a few months and a few
counties continue to experience high fire danger.
Today, existing
major fires in Colorado are well contained and no new fires are being
monitored or supported by the Colorado Office of Emergency Management. The
High Park fire is 100 percent contained, Waldo Canyon fire is 98 percent
contained, the Weber fire is 90 percent contained, and the Little Sand fire
is 40 percent contained.
“We commend
the people of Colorado for complying with the fire ban and the efforts of fire
fighters, local law enforcement, federal land managers, Colorado National
Guard, United States military and all other first responders for their
assistance and collaboration during this wildfire season,” Hickenlooper
said. “We will continue to monitor the fire danger across the state and
re-enact the state-wide ban if necessary as conditions change.”
The fire ban
ordered June 14 applied to open burning, including campfires, warming fires,
charcoal grill fires, fused explosives and private use of fireworks.
“We
encourage Coloradans to be ever vigilant and continue to use extreme safety
precautions when using open flames or undertaking any activity that poses a
risk of starting a fire,” Hickenlooper said.
View or download the Executive Order signed on July 8.
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Governor Lifts Statewide Fire Ban, Local Bans May Still be in Place
