A DFPC Firehawk helicopter lines up to drop water on the Heil Fire on March 4, 2026. (Tyler Phillips/CU Independent)
As summer approaches, Boulder residents and University of Colorado Boulder students may be concerned about wildfire danger.
“If someone doesn’t put out a cigarette right, we’re all gonna have to pick up and leave,” said Neva Godt, a CU sophomore who grew up in Boulder.
This year, the meteorological winter brought low precipitation, warm temperatures and high wildfire risk. The historically low snowpack, potential drought conditions and high winds could complicate the summer months, but uncertainty remains.
Wildland Fire Division Chief Brian Oliver said the conditions could increase wildfire risks.
“We’ll definitely see an uptick in fires.”
Boulder-Fire Rescue has responded to five wildfires in the city since January, along with others in the county. Some include the BlueBell fire, the Heil Fire and the Goat Trail Fire.
Following an extremely dry winter, the city imposed a drought watch on April 1. The status aims to encourage residents to conserve water and raise public awareness.
In the South Platte and Upper Colorado Headwaters basins, snowpack is 32% and 25% of the median for this time of year, according to the Water Resources Advisory Board. The advisory board said the values represent historically low snowpack records in a memo on April 20.
Oliver said the low snowpack adds to long-term wildfire risk across the county, especially in areas with higher elevation.
However, Oliver said that the number of fires in Boulder is actually standard for the time of year.
“If you look kind of through some of our historical data, we typically get an uptick in fires early spring into mid spring,” Oliver said. “That’s when we typically get a lot of our winds that time of year.”
While windy weather is common during spring in Boulder, the city has had an increase in red flag days.
The National Weather Service has issued the status on days with high winds, warm temperatures, and low humidity.
Vinnie Montez, a spokesperson for the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, told Denver7 that as of April 22, Boulder has had 21 red flag days in 2026.
That is almost as many as the previous two years combined, he said.
A DFPC Firehawk helicopter refills from a nearby lake on Wednesday afternoon, March 4, 2026. (Tyler Phillips/CU Independent)
Gear and vehicles ready to go on Wednesday afternoon, March 4, 2026. (Tyler Phillips/CU Independent)
A Lefthand Fire firefighter gets ready to leave the station on Wednesday afternoon, March 4, 2026. (Tyler Phillips/CU Independent)
A Lefthand Fire recruit walks back to the station after watching the fire on Wednesday afternoon, March 4, 2026. (Tyler Phillips/CU Independent)
Prolonged dryness: “It could cause quite a bit of trouble.”
Drought conditions can cause wildfire fuels like grass and trees to dry out and become more flammable.
“It is exceptionally dry, so activities that probably wouldn’t start a fire in ‘normal times’ are igniting and spreading just because the fuels are more receptive,” Oliver said.
Above-ground power lines can also spark fires during high-wind events, according to Oliver.
For some students, dry conditions raise concerns. Godt said the summer months come with stress and uncertainty.
“There’s a lot of anxiety,” Godt said. “There’s so much unknown with how much precipitation we are going to get throughout the summer and being that it was such a dry winter, it makes the likelihood of wildfires a lot higher.”
However, Oliver said that there’s still hope for improvement.
“We’re still in that spring time frame where we can get into a pattern where we’ll get daily thunderstorms or rain every couple of days, and we can … start kind of relieving some of the current drought stress,” Oliver said.
For some residents, the risks may feel personal.
Smoke can be seen from CU campus as a wildfire at Enchanted Mesa Trailhead burns at around 10 p.m. on Sunday, April 5, 2026. (Sagan Randall/CU Independent)
Onlookers watch a wildfire south of Chautauqua on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 28, 2026. (Sagan Randall/CU Independent)
A helicopter responds to the Bluebell Fire Saturday afternoon, Feb. 28, 2026. (Sagan Randall/CU Independent)
Helicopter responding to Blue Bell fire on Feb. 28, 2026 (Sagan Randall/CU Independent)
A wildfire breaks out south of Chautauqua on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 28, 2026. (Sagan Randall/CU Independent)
“We can see how potentially devastating things can be.”
BFR Captain Jason Moat said that the Marshall Fire, which destroyed over 1,000 homes in Boulder County, highlighted the urgency of wildfire prevention. Godt said it heightened her sense of awareness.
“It’s always in the back of everyone’s mind … especially when it’s windy all the time and dry,” Godt said.
Alex Kuca, 19, lost his house in Louisville to the Marshall Fire. Kuca, his family and their six pets lived in an apartment in Broomfield while they rebuilt the house. He said the full process took about two years.
“Everything was kind of just like a blur,” Kuca said.
To prevent wildfire spread, the county has imposed Stage 1 fire restrictions, which prohibit open fires and smoking on public lands. The fire department has also increased its staff on days with high fire risk.
“We have more units in the system that provide that aggressive initial attack,” Oliver said. “We do that regardless once we see conditions in alignment or fuels and weather are going to be higher risk.”
While agencies take precautions, first responders like Moat said citizens are also responsible for wildfire prevention.
A Boulder County Sheriff shuts down the road leading to the fire on Wednesday afternoon, March 4, 2026. (Tyler Phillips/CU Independent)
Gear and vehicles ready to go on Wednesday afternoon, March 4, 2026. (Tyler Phillips/CU Independent)
Gear and vehicles ready to go on Wednesday afternoon, March 4, 2026. (Tyler Phillips/CU Independent)
“Just being cognizant of not contributing to fire starts.”
According to Oliver, three of the recent wildfires were likely human-caused. He said that while evidence is often destroyed in the fires, he can use deductive reasoning to eliminate other causes.
“The method and the person and the reason are all still under investigation,” he said.
Moat encouraged residents to be conscious of activities that could start wildfires.
“Be careful when you have the potential to accidentally start a fire, whether it’s cigarettes or grilling or your chains dragging on the ground from your trailer as you drive,” Moat said.
He also stressed the importance of heeding evacuation orders.
“If you’re given notice to evacuate… just please evacuate early.”
If everyone tries to leave a neighborhood at the same time, it can slow down the firefighters’ response, Moat explained.
Oliver discussed home-hardening: fire mitigation done around houses. He mentioned strategies including maintaining a buffer of noncombustible material around the house, pruning vegetation in yards and keeping lawns mowed.
“What you’re trying to do is create a space around the home that is not susceptible to ignition,” he said. “If your house doesn’t catch fire, it won’t burn and catch the next house on fire.”
More information about home-hardening and other wildfire prevention measures are available on the City of Boulder website.
Contact CU Independent News Editor Avery Clifton at Avery.Clifton@colorado.edu
Contact CU Independent Photo Editor Sagan Randall at Sagan.Randall@colorado.edu
Contact CU Staff Photographer Tyler Phillips at Tyler.Phillips-1@colorado.edu
