Understand Your Risk
Wildfire risk looks different for every home, neighborhood, and landscape. These resources will help you learn what risks exist where you live and what factors contribute to them- so you can take informed, confident steps toward protecting your home and community.
Fire Risk in MEsa County, CO
Wildfire has shaped the landscapes of Mesa County long before our communities were here. Today, our goal is not to eliminate fire, but to learn how to live alongside it- protecting people, homes, community resources, and the places we all enjoy.
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Understanding your wildfire risk is the first step toward becoming better prepared. The tools below provide a general overview of wildfire risk across the region, but they are not intended to determine risk at an individual property or parcel level. Instead, they offer a helpful starting point to understand patterns, fuels, and priority areas throughout our county.
Before You Explore These Tools
Wildfire risk is more complex than a map can show. It changes based on:
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Weather: Hot, dry, and windy conditions- especially Red Flag days- increase the likelihood that any fire, anywhere, will be difficult or impossible to control.
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Fuels: Brush, trees, grass, fences, storage sheds, Housing materials, and vehicles all influence how fire behaves, but natural fuels alone do not define your risk.
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Topography: Slopes, canyons, and ridgelines change fire spread dramatically.
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Homes & Community Layout: Building materials, spacing, and neighborhood access routes all play a role.
These tools help you understand the bigger picture, but a home’s true vulnerability primarily occurs due to conditions closest to the structure- the Home Ignition Zone (HIZ), which we cover in the next step of the resident journey.
