Red Flag Warning, dry winds threaten Las Animas County weekend
Western and eastern Las Animas County were under a Red Flag Warning Saturday as winds, single-digit humidity and old fire restrictions raised the stakes.
Dry, gusty weather put Las Animas County in the highest-risk part of the southern Colorado forecast, with Trinidad, Aguilar, Weston, Starkville and the surrounding unincorporated areas facing the kind of fire danger that can turn a small spark into a fast-moving grass fire. The National Weather Service in Pueblo placed western Las Animas County, including Trinidad and Thatcher, and eastern Las Animas County, including Pinon Canyon, under a Red Flag Warning from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. MDT Saturday, May 16, with a Fire Weather Watch following for Sunday.
The warning was tied to southwest winds of 15 to 30 mph on Saturday and 20 to 30 mph Sunday, with gusts reaching 45 mph and relative humidity dropping as low as 8 percent. Under those conditions, the weather service said fires could catch and spread rapidly and erratically. For people working outside, that meant holding off on burning piles, welding, target shooting and anything else that could throw a spark onto dry grass or roadside weeds.
The county was already living under fire restrictions before the red-flag weekend arrived. Las Animas County said Stage II Fire Restrictions had been posted March 31, and county officials had reminded residents on March 12 that Stage 1 restrictions remained in effect countywide because of ongoing dry conditions. Colorado’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management says Red Flag Warnings can trigger automatic fire restrictions in many counties, a reminder that fire weather in Colorado can quickly move from a forecast concern to a public-safety order.
The risk was not theoretical. In April, the Schwachheim Fire burned in the Lake Dorothey State Wildlife Area southeast of Trinidad near the New Mexico border. The fire grew beyond 1,000 acres and at one point prompted a disaster emergency declaration from Gov. Jared Polis, underscoring how quickly fire weather can escalate in Las Animas County when the grass is dry and the wind is up.
KOAA News5 reported storms had already fired along the Raton Mesa in Las Animas County and were expected to drift into Baca County later that evening, while Trinidad and Walsenburg stayed dry and windy south of Highway 50. That split pattern left the county on the dry side of the weekend, with little margin for error if a fire started near ranchland, a roadside right-of-way or homes on the edge of town.
For ranch families and travelers, the safest approach was to keep equipment away from dry vegetation, delay any open flame work, watch for sudden changes in visibility on Highway 50 and county roads, and have evacuation routes ready if smoke or flames appeared nearby. The Red Flag Warning was later cancelled Monday, May 18, after humidity climbed to 45 percent to 55 percent, but the weekend showed how quickly spring in Las Animas County can shift back into fire season.
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