Christina Burri stands in front of her house in the Storm Mountain community, overlooking a burned forest on the edge of the property. Just a few weeks ago, a wildfire nearly took her home.
The Alexander Mountain Fire started July 29 north of U.S. Highway 34 and west of Loveland, Colo., where it swelled to 9,668 acres until it was declared contained on Aug. 17. Residents were evacuated, waiting to hear if their homes had survived the fire. Burri’s did.
Wildfire risk is a Colorado reality
Burri, who is the deputy state forester for the Colorado State Forest Service, has been living in the area for 10 years.
It isn’t the first time she and her neighbors have had to evacuate for a fire. From her home, you can see evidence of burned forests — the Bobcat Gulch Fire in the 2000s, the Cameron Peak Fire in 2020 on Storm Mountain to the west, and now the Alexander Mountain Fire on Palisade Mountain to the east. The community is in the heart of the wildland-urban interface, where homes brush up against trees and other vegetation, and it’s vulnerable when wildfires ignite.
“When I bought this house, I couldn’t afford anything in Fort Collins or Loveland. I bought up here — I knew the risk,” Burri said. For her, living here means being aware of the chances of a wildfire occurring, and doing what she can to prepare.
Wildfire affects communities
Only 100 feet uphill through charred forest, Burri’s neighbor’s home burned to the ground. Within a quarter-mile of the area, a dozen more properties are completely lost or partially burned, with residents and crews still working to recover from the fire.
Burri feels deeply for her neighbors who lost their homes. “My heart sank when I heard that their house burnt down and how close it was to mine,” she said.
The fire burned in patches as the wind changed direction, causing unpredictable fire behavior. Deeply blackened areas lay within a few feet of untouched greenery.
Firefighters worked tirelessly to suppress flames moving toward the community from two directions. They were able to hold a line to stop it at Palisade Mountain Drive. Burri’s log-cabin home happened to be in the exact right spot.
Defensible space enables suppression efforts
A small stone patio and rock wall provides more than an outdoor picnic area at Burri’s home. It served as a reliable barrier against the fire, where firefighters were able to position themselves to keep flames from reaching her home, known as defensible space.
“I put in this landscaping, and I think having this rock helped — you can see the fire stopped right here. This area allowed firefighters access to hold the fire. Not only is this landscaping nice and enjoyable, but I think it really did help provide even more defensible space around my house,” Burri said. Creating this non-flammable area was one of many steps Burri took to prepare for wildfire.
"Not only is this landscaping nice and enjoyable, but I think it really did help provide even more defensible space around my house."
Mitigation aligns with a healthy, resilient forest
Burri removed a few trees in the forest near her home to promote a more open forest. This played a critical role when fire entered the area, leading to lower intensity flames that burned only the outer layer of many trees, keeping them from torching in high-intensity fire.
A healthy ponderosa pine forest relies on occasional low-severity ground fires to remove underbrush and reduce density. These trees also naturally shed their lower branches, which Burri mimicked by removing low-hanging limbs. This limits ladder fuels, or flammable vegetation that enables flames to gain intensity in tree crowns.
“When I came back home, I knew it would look different — in my mind I imagined all the trees gone, just black and torched. But the trees endured the fire,” Burri said, grateful that many of the trees had survived. Within a few weeks, the grass is already regrowing through the burned pine needles. Birds and small mammals are active in the area.
Though the fire did consume her propane tank, Burri’s home survived the wildfire thanks to her efforts to reduce wildfire risk, the hard work of firefighters and the ideal position of her property.
Living wildfire ready
Burri knew the risks of living in the wildland-urban interface, and her proactive steps made a difference in keeping her home safe. The Live Wildfire Ready campaign offers wildfire mitigation steps that homeowners can take to start preparing their homes and properties. If a wildfire does occur in your area, you can be ready by visiting LiveWildfireReady.org to get started.