ELIZABETH, Colo. — Out on the eastern plains, those driving through the town of Elizabeth can see a sign warning of extreme fire danger. On Monday, the Elbert County Sheriff increased the fire restrictions from Stage 1 to Stage 2 for unincorporated Elbert County, which will prohibit fireworks and burning slash piles.
Kara Gerczynski, division chief of administration and prevention for the Elizabeth Fire Protection District, has served the community for 24 years. She explained how the lack of moisture this winter and spring has led to these concerning dry conditions and the need to have restrictions in place.
Watch Denver7 reporter Maggy Wolasnke in the video below:
"I would say that our fire calls have increased and although, early on, we usually get rain-snow come November, December and if we don't get it that that time, we usually get it January through March. We never got a rainy season or a wet snow season this year, and so our fuels are very dried out," Gerczynski said.
Gerczynski explained the Elizabeth Fire Protection District became a district in 1947 after a huge fire, which made residents realize there was a need to serve the community. Currently, they have three stations fully staffed and have a plan in place when there is a red flag warning.
"We usually staff up, especially when we see red flag warnings," said Gerczynski. "We will staff up, make sure that our brush trucks are first due and that they're ready to go, and that we can get them out the doors quickly."
Going from Stage 1 to Stage 2, Gerczynski explained this is in place to protect the community, as last week they had several small brush fires.
"One of the biggest impacts to Stage 2 burn restrictions is that the use of personal fireworks is prohibited and so that is really tough for our community when we want to celebrate the 250th anniversary [of the country] and they can't use fireworks within the town of Elizabeth or unincorporated areas of Elbert County," said Gerczynski. "But this is for safety, and we want to make sure our community is safe, and our houses and our open spaces remain safe and we encourage our community to look at other options."
Our Denver7 weather team is tracking severe weather Tuesday, as a storm system moving into our area could have the potential to produce large hail, damaging 60+ mph wind gusts and isolated tornadoes across the eastern half of the state.
"I think one of the biggest concerns we're going to see with the storms today is going to be large hail," explained Denver7 chief meteorologist Lisa Hidalgo. "We're talking two to potentially three inches in diameter. That gets up to baseball size on the eastern plains, which is obviously a danger and a big concern, so we'll be watching that closely today."
The Summit County Sheriff’s Office announced Stage 2 fire restrictions will start on June 26, "in response to warm, dry weather and elevated fire danger." Specifically, this means no fireworks, no campfires, no chainsaws, and the Summit County shooting range is closed, too.
The Park County Sheriff's Office is also under a Stage 2 fire restriction until further notice which prohibits fireworks, open fire, and requires permits for propane/petroleum-fueled fires.
