DENVER -- Tuesday marked the two-year anniversary of Colorado's largest wildfire and mountain residents are worried about the repeat of another bad fire season.

The conditions are ripe for a firefighting nightmare -- snowpack is low, fire danger is very high and there have been record high temperatures reached as of late. Add the fact that larger air tankers were recently grounded by the Forest Service over safety concerns, and you have all the elements for anxiety.

But instead of just worrying, some people are becoming proactive.

"I've become more vigilant about fire safety. I pick up all slash and pile it in one place far from the house. I had about 30 standing dead trees cut down and cleared from the property last month. I have important stuff 'staged' and ready to be packed up in case of an evacuation. My wife and I each keep a suitcase packed with a several day supply of clothing, etcetera, in case of an evacuation," said one mountain resident.

The Hayman Fire started June 8, 2002 and within 24 days had burned more than 137,000 acres and destroyed 133 homes. Officials with the Rocky Mountain Coordination Center say the fuels in the mountain are bone dry. The trees have even less moisture content than wood in a lumber yard, and are even dryer this season than it was before Hayman, said Gwenan Poirier, with the Rocky Mountain Coordination Center.

Because conditions can be so explosive, firefighters are quick to attack small fires to keep them from spreading, such as the small 5-acre fire in Jefferson County that was contained Monday afternoon.

Since January, there have been 202 wildfires in Colorado, the largest of which was the Picnic Rock Fire in Larimer County.

Current Fires

There are two fires currently burning in the state, but not near the metro area. The Bent Canyon Fire is a 300-acre fire burning in Las Animas County, near the Otero County line.

The Greasewood Fire is about 2,000 acres and is burning 13 miles west of Meeker. Firefighters are allowing this blaze to play its natural role in nature, so they will let it burn within identified parameters.

"The fire will reduce dead fuel in the area, improving range and wildlife habitat as new shrubs, grasses and trees grow," said Mark Rogers, a fire-use manager with the Bureau of Land Management.

The fire was sparked by lightning last Thursday and is burning in thick, dry Gambel oak brush, sagebrush, serviceberry brush and pinon/juniper on land owned by the BLM.

Crews from the Colorado Division of Wildlife's Little Hills station are clearing brush near a powerline in the area to protect it from fire.

"It's a defensible compound," Rogers said. "The brush is cleared around it and there is water source."

There are eight fire engines from the BLM and Rio Blanco County, a bulldozer, a road grader and a chopper are working on the fire. There are about 35 people assigned to the fire.

A big column of smoke will probably be evident this afternoon in the metro area when predicted high winds will likely cause the fire to grow.

"As always, firefighter and public safety are our highest priorities," Rogers said.

People are asked to be extra careful with fire as the drought and hot, dry, windy weather continues.

Additional Stories:

Jeffco Issues Fire Ban

Snowpack All But Melted

Wildfire Burns In Jefferson County
Front Range Faces Above-Average Fire Risk