A report reviewing how a prescribed burn created the Lower North Fork (CO) wildfire has been released.
CW 2 Colorado (http://bit.ly/HOrPDy) highlights the factors and recommendations below:
Factors:
- Hot spots from the fire remained four days after the initial burn
- Normal best practices, including a 200-foot buffer around the burn, didn't work
- Weather and fire behavior forecasts did not sufficiently predict the complete set of circumstances
- Rapidly escalating winds created spot firs that exceeded what firefighters on the ground could handle
Recommendations:
- Improve weather information and fire-danger rating systems to make sure fire management agencies have accurate data
- Improve Colorado State Forest Service mop-up standards to make sure prescribed burns don't re-ignite
- Consider using technical reviewer for more complex prescribed burns, especially those covering multiple jurisdictions
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