CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. — Warm, dry and windy conditions are fueling a period of very high fire danger across Colorado's high country this weekend.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a fire weather watch starting at 11 a.m. Saturday. Officials say conditions favorable for rapid fire spread will likely last through the weekend.
Jeff Soolari and his group of friends, who call themselves the "camping dudes," are among those spending time outdoors.
"We try to camp every weekend possible," Soolari said. "Just to be away from the city and town and be in Mother Nature."
Denver7 met the group at Clear Lake Campground on Guanella Pass Road. As they set up their campsite Friday, they said fire danger is top of mind.
"That's our biggest fear," said Soolari.
Sergeant Nick Aab with the Clear Creek County sheriff's office will be patrolling campsites across the area this weekend, looking for violations of the county's Stage 1 fire ban.
Under Stage 1 restrictions, things like open burning, charcoal grills and barbecues are not allowed. Aab said he regularly encounters people who do not follow the rules.
"We're just in a matchbox right now," Aab said. "Please come and enjoy the wonderful mountains here that we have in Colorado, but please do it safely."
Campers at some National Forest sites, like Soolari, are permitted to use a campground fire ring within their designated site.
Even so, the "camping dudes" are not taking any chances.
"At night when we go to bed, we make sure the fire is put out really good," he said.
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