As published in the February 1 issue of The Mountain-Ear

Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.

It may seem that wildfire danger would be low, given the cover of snow on the ground, but under the snow lurks a deep layer of dried out pine needles, grasses, squirrel leftovers and mashed wood chips. These decomposed organic materials form a dusty, flammable pile of duff on forest floors.

Last week, a woman walking her dogs south of Nederland, about a quarter of a mile up a trail off the first switchback out of town, found a circle of flames burning up out of the snow around the trunk of a couple of trees.

Firefighters from the US Forest Service and the Nederland Fire Protection District, as well as the Nederland Police Department and the Boulder County Sheriff’s Department, responded to the site. When USFS engine captain Ed LeBlanc arrived at the fire, flames licked around the tree, starting to eat their way up the trunk. Once the firefighters doused the flames, they dug under the snow, uncovering the smoldering duff that spread in a circle around the flames.

The hand crew extinguished the fire with their shovels and available snow.

LeBlanc said a snow-covered forest floor can be deceiving and any signs of smoke should be reported. The mountains are extremely dry.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the USFS.