For many people, the long Memorial Day weekend signals the onset of summer activities such as camping. Considering the ongoing drought conditions in many areas of the state, campers should know how to properly attend and extinguish campfires ñ- and understand the consequences if they do not.According to statistics from the U.S. Department of the Interior website, research indicates that 90 percent of wildfires are caused by humans. The National Interagency Fire Center website shows that humans caused an average of 61,952 fires each year between 2001 and 2017. Human-caused fires burned an average of more than 2.7 million acres annually during that time.One way that humans start wildfires is by leaving a campfire unattended or not thoroughly extinguishing it. In 2016, an improperly extinguished campfire on private property ignited the Cold Springs Fire near Nederland in Boulder County. That fire burned 528 acres, destroyed eight homes and forced the evacuation of more than 1,900 residents.On March 22, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed House Bill 1051, which increases penalties for failing to attend a campfire or not properly extinguishing it. The bill, which takes effect July 1 received bipartisan support. Under HB 1051, any person who ìknowingly or recklesslyî leaves a campfire unattended or fails to fully extinguish it in a forested or grasslands area commits a Class 3 misdemeanor, punishable by fines up to $750 and/or up to six months imprisonment.Here are tips to ensure a campfire is fully extinguished:
- Allow wood to burn completely to ash, if possible.
- Pour water on the fire to drown all embers, and keep doing so until the hissing sound stops.
- Stir dirt or sand into the embers with a shovel.
- Use a shovel to scrape any remaining embers from sticks and logs and soak them.
- If water is not available, mix sand or wet dirt into the embers.
- Make sure everything is cold to the touch. Remember: If it is too hot to touch, it is too hot to leave.
