A new study on the Lake Christine fire finds that wildfire mitigation, like using flame-resistant construction materials and clearing vegetation around homes, played a significant role in saving property.
The study, by the Community Wildfire Planning Center, was presented to the Eagle County board of commissioners by wildfire mitigation coordinator Eric Lovgren on Tuesday.
"The report was fabulous in highlighting what a difference mitigation does both for the work the firefighters need to do but also in terms of saving property," commissioner Jeanne McQueeney said.
It found that homes threatened by the fire survived due to both mitigation and actions taken by firefighters.
The report says that residential areas that hadn’t mitigated were fortunate that adequate firefighter
resources were available. But it cautions that may not always be the case.
Commissioner McQueeney says Eagle County will look to build its mitigation program, called REALFire, by working with homeowner associations and fire districts. It may also consider adding staff and equipment, such as a woodchipper to help residents dispose of wood and brush piles, to help with mitigation efforts,
