Montezuma County officials warn of possible early fire ban, urge residents to burn small piles now

Unidentified Speaker 1, presiding at the Montezuma County Board of County Commissioners workshop, opened discussion of a possible early fire ban and said the county would begin coordinated public messaging to encourage residents to reduce hazard piles.

"This year is gonna be who knows? It's dry... When it dries out... we could have an early fire ban request," Unidentified Speaker 3 said, describing current conditions and high winds that increase wildfire risk. County speakers repeatedly urged landowners to "burn early rather than later" and to break piles into smaller, more manageable burns.

Officials emphasized operational constraints and enforcement steps. Unidentified Speaker 3 reminded residents that "controlled burn still has to comply with the controlled burning ordinance" and that callers must notify dispatch to check for high-wind or red-flag conditions; failing to notify has led to citations and court action in the past. The sheriff and emergency staff said they would coordinate closely with the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control for rapid response if fires begin to spread.

The county also planned outreach to improve evacuation readiness. Unidentified Speaker 5 said the sheriff and emergency management staff "are gonna go have some talks" with community groups about evacuation planning and preparing "go kits," and volunteers will work on mitigation messaging with partners.

Commissioners set a short public-education slot for the March 9 Coffee with the County event to start the messaging campaign and asked staff to monitor 5-year historic weather data and provide weather-service spot checks as the county picks a date for any formal actions.

The discussion was procedural and preparatory; no formal vote or burn ban declaration was taken at the workshop. The county indicated an intent to begin public messaging now and to return with recommended language or action as conditions require.