Colorado's mountainside burn piles await snow for controlled blazes

colorado's foothills counties are brimming with thousands of burn piles, remnants of brush cleared to mitigate fire risk. However, these beaver lodge-like structures will remain idle until snowfall and favorable weather conditions permit controlled burns to proceed.

Clear creek county's mitigation efforts

In Clear Creek County, homeowner Jen Hoogendoorn and her neighbors collaborated to clear their properties, with a contractor assisting in some areas. Nearby Denver Mountain Parks also removed trees and shrubs to reduce fire danger, leaving their own burn piles.

Increased mitigation efforts across the front range

Fire departments and counties along the Front Range have been intensifying mitigation measures for years, but this effort has taken on new urgency in the aftermath of costly wildfires. Jefferson County's Wildland Fire Program Manager Brian Keating noted that they were