I urge everyone who lives near the Cortez ditch bank or uses it for walking, biking, dog walking, etc., to be vigilant about fire danger, especially in the area between Brandon’s Gate and the north bank of the ditch, a large parcel of county land surrounded by City of Cortez land.
Recently my husband was walking our dogs on the ditch bank path when he spotted a brush fire in that area. He immediately called the fire department and the fire was put out in a short time. Last April on a blustery Sunday evening, he was in the yard and saw smoke north of the ditch. By the time he investigated and called the fire department, the fire had jumped the ditch bank and burned into our yard, where it ultimately burned fence posts and grape vines and sparked a smoldering fire inside a huge cottonwood.
We managed to put out the fires in our yard, but it took several hours for the fire department to extinguish the fires north of us and at least four trees were destroyed. We believe these fires were human caused, either deliberately or negligently. Please watch for and report suspicious activity that could cause fire and clear dead leaves and other debris from your property. Last year it was terrifying for us to see how quickly high wind was blowing fire toward our house. It was fortunate we were home and able to help stop it and we’re so grateful for the fire fighters.
Judy Schuenemeyer
Cortez
