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Help Prevent Wildfires This Holiday Weekend

DENVER (CBS4) - A campfire, a wild firework, a discarded cigarette -- all are threats with the state's fire danger so high right now.

There was proof of the danger Friday when lightning sparked a fire that's still burning. The Carpenter Peak fire is small -- an acre or so in the Pike San Isabel National Forest near Roxborough State Park. No homes were threatened.

"We had smoke jumpers jump on this because a lot of the crews are tied up on that Duckett fire still, so we didn't have a lot of resources that could get to it quick," Jeff Thumm with the U.S. Forest Service said.

All Coloradans are being asked to help prevent fires this holiday weekend. There are fire restrictions all over the state, including in Jefferson County.

Forest Service officials say with all of the fires caused by lightening lately, they don't need any human-caused fires to stretch their resources this holiday weekend.

The Duckett fire burning in southwestern Colorado began in the San Isabel National Forest where right now no campfires are allowed. The same goes for Pike National Forest land, where Friday's fire burned. Forest Service officials say with the holiday weekend coming up, they're urging people headed to the high country to heed the warnings, bans and restrictions.

"We can't really afford human-caused fires with all the lightening, we've got people that are pretty wrapped up with all kinds of fires here and in the southwest so we just don't have a lot of resources we can spare," Thumm said.

With resources already stretched thin, the hot, dry and windy weather can create perfect conditions for fires to take off.

"Like that one up in Boulder the other day, if it gets on an exposed slope and it's on the bottom of the slope, it has wind behind, it can get big real quick."

Lightning has been the culprit in some of the wildfires currently burning in the state. Fire officials say it's the human-caused ones they could really do without.

"We just can't afford to have any extra fires; we've got plenty to handle with Mother Nature."

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