But investments in firefighting resources should help firefighters better focus on “initial aggressive attack and detection” strategies, they said.
Gov. Jared Polis and top firefighting leaders unveiled Colorado’s 2026 Wildfire Preparedness Plan to the press April 30 at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, stressing increased resources while urging public vigilance to prevent ignitions.
Ninety-five percent of Colorado is expected to face drought conditions in June and July, officials said. The state activated a Drought Task Force last month after determining 97% of Colorado was in moderate to severe or worse drought.
“We are facing increased risk this coming year for June and July. Significantly increased risk in the front range in western Colorado,” Polis said. “There are significant drought conditions, which have caused a much higher fire risk.”
Polis proclaimed May as Wildfire Awareness Month and called on residents to take personal responsibility for preventing human-caused ignitions. He urged proper campfire extinguishment, caution with fireworks and vehicles — particularly avoiding dry grass with hot catalytic converters — and safe disposal of cigarettes.
The governor noted early activity already this year. Crews responded to the Schwachheim fire, reported in mid-April, and the Poitrey Canyon fire, reported later in April, both in Las Animas County, prompting disaster emergency declarations.
Colorado typically sees 6,000 to 7,000 wildfires in an average year, Mike Morgan, director of the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, said. Officials expect more fire starts this year under dry conditions.
While the big fires attract lots of media attention, federal, state and local firefighters are working constantly to put out small fires, Morgan said.
The state has built substantial aviation and ground capacity over the past eight years, shifting from leased aircraft to a mix of owned and contracted assets for faster response, Stan Hilke, executive director of the Department of Public Safety, told reporters.
He said state aircraft have dropped nearly 200,000 gallons of retardant in the first 117 days of 2026.
The state now operates two Pilatus PC-12 multimission, fixed-wing aircraft outfitted with infrared and electro-optical sensors for early detection, real-time fire mapping and intelligence gathering.
These high-performance turboprops, equipped with Skylink Wi-Fi for direct connections to fire managers on the ground, can reach any fire in Colorado quickly at speeds over 300 mph after roughly two hours of preflight.
The fleet also includes: a large air tanker under exclusive-use contract for 120 days per year; two AT-802F high-performance single-engine air tankers, each capable of delivering 800 gallons of retardant; two Type 1 Firehawk helicopters and two Type 2 helicopters. The Firehawks offer multirole capability beyond wildfires, including search and rescue.
Morgan emphasized the focus on rapid initial attack.
“We believe that spending money on initial aggressive attack and detection is a better bang for the buck for the state of Colorado and the citizens of Colorado than waiting until fires get big,” Morgan said.
Stan Hilke, executive director of the Department of Public Safety, said the investments allow Colorado greater control over its response.
“We have determined to try to take Colorado’s fate back into its hands and having the ability to control our destiny a little bit with the addition of resources,” Hilke said.
Matt McCombs, state forester and director of the Colorado State Forest Service, highlighted mitigation successes. In February, he said, fuels reduction in the Gold Creek subdivision near Elizabeth helped firefighters quickly contain a wildfire that reached the treated area.
The administration has invested more than $165 million in forest and wildfire resiliency, awarding $15.4 million this year alone for community projects.
Officials stressed collaboration with federal partners, including the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and the new U.S. Wildland Fire Service. Federal firefighting staffing levels remain comparable to last year, they said.
© 2026 The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
