La Plata County Fire Ready Expo to prep residents for wildfire season

Wildfire season in La Plata County is no longer just a late-summer concern. As spring recreation ramps up around Durango, the county’s Fire Ready Expo on May 9 at the La Plata County Fairgrounds is set to put fire risk, evacuation choices and property hardening in the same conversation many locals are already having about camping trips, trailheads and whether to head out when conditions turn volatile.

The expo is scheduled for Saturday, May 9, 2026, and local listings put the hours at either 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. La Plata County and La Plata Electric Association are both promoting the event, which will feature three panels focused on the upcoming fire season outlook, public safety power shutoffs and other wildfire-related topics. The La Plata County Office of Emergency Management says the workshop is designed to help residents and business owners prepare properties and structures to reduce wildfire impacts and get familiar with the Ready, Set, Go evacuation framework.

That message lands at a moment when wildfire standards are tightening around Durango. The City of Durango began enforcing the 2025 Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code on April 1, 2026, under a state mandate. The code applies to new construction and remodels over 500 square feet, pushing wildfire planning deeper into the choices that shape neighborhoods, rebuilds and new projects across the wildland-urban interface.

La Plata County has also built out a mitigation system around the Wildfire Resource Center, which says homeowners may be reimbursed for up to 50% of mitigation project costs after the work is completed. County resources point private landowners to COSWAP and WIIN funding, giving residents another path to reduce fuels and strengthen homes before fire danger peaks. The county created its Wildfire Advisory Board in 2021, part of a broader effort to make wildfire planning a standing part of community life instead of a reaction after smoke is already in the valley.

For anyone trying to decide whether to stage gear, move a trailer, update an escape route or plan a weekend in the backcountry, the expo will be the clearest place to get those answers in one stop before fire season intensifies.