Routt County Prepares for Intense 2026 Fire Season

Snowflakes fell lightly on the Routt County landscape just a few months ago — now, the dry earth cracks beneath footsteps. The sound of rustling leaves and snapping twigs fills the air as the wind picks up. This is not the usual spring scenery for the area, and locals know it. The 2026 fire season is looming, and it's expected to be intense.

Routt County's fire chiefs and the Wildfire Mitigation Council are urging property owners to prepare now. The warning comes after a Red Flag Warning was issued on March 21 due to critical fire conditions, including low humidity and wind gusts. Tracy LeClair, outreach specialist for the Wildland Fire Management section of the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, notes that some conditions are worse than those seen in the big fire years, like 2012 and 2020.

The current snowpack is at approximately 63% of its historical median, which means the fine fuels across the landscape will dry out weeks ahead of schedule. This increases the potential for an early and intense fire season, putting homes and investments at elevated risk. The joint letter issued by the fire chiefs and the council reminds citizens that this is not a normal year, and the opportunity to prepare properties is presenting itself earlier than usual. Wildfire mitigation is not about preventing a forest fire but rather about "hardening" a home with fire-resilient measures. This allows residences to survive an ember shower or a passing ground fire without professional assistance.

One of the key steps in preparing for the fire season is education. The council will host a Community Outreach Meeting on April 9 at the Bud Werner Memorial Library to educate the public on the importance of evacuation preparedness and mitigation. The meeting will include a screening of a PBS episode about the aftermath of the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. Josh Hankes, executive director of the nonprofit Wildfire Mitigation Council, emphasizes that the potential for a complex wildfire season is very real, and conditions are like nothing seen before. One key goal is to provide resources to help property owners protect their homes and investments. The council's efforts include Home Ignition Zone evaluations, free chipping, rebates for eligible mitigation projects, and volunteer needs for neighborhood wildfire ambassadors. One key aspect of these efforts is that they are led by a range of stakeholders, from county and city representatives to private landowners and businesses.

The 2026 fire season will be a challenge for Routt County, and property owners must take action now to prepare. One key factor is the lack of snowpack, combined with dry conditions, which creates a high risk for wildfires. One key consideration is that the community needs to come together to prepare for this risk. The sound of sirens and helicopters may become all too familiar in the coming months. The smell of smoke may hang in the air, a constant reminder of the danger lurking in the dry underbrush. One key question is whether the community will be ready.