A push is on to raise money to transform an old fire truck in Evergreen into an educational tool to help spread awareness about wildfire readiness. It comes on the heels of the Elephant Butte Fire, which burned 50 acres in Evergreen and forced hundreds of homes to evacuate for a short time earlier this summer.
The project is being organized by the group Rotary Wildfire Ready, which is funded through the Evergreen Rotary Foundation. Spokesman Doug Turner said the fire gave the Colorado mountain community a big scare. He says the area “dodged a bullet.”
“Wildfire is our biggest risk up here. If we get a Hayman-type fire up here we’re going to have some real issues and right now, frankly, we’re just not prepared and we’re not educated,” said Turner, referring to 2002’s Hayman Fire, which is the largest wildfire in Colorado history.