Senators Warn Federal Firefighting Budget Nearly Exhausted With Fire Season Not Over
Five senators told Interior and USDA the $6 billion FY2026 fire suppression budget was nearly spent by Sept. 2, citing staffing gaps and firefighter deaths.
In 2025, fire departments serving Allenspark responded to 35 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $25K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Authorized controlled burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 74% of all calls.
Dec peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
133 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $200K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 24 | — | |
| 2022 | 25 | +4.2% | |
| 2023 | 20 | -20.0% | |
| 2024 | 29 | +45.0% | |
| 2025 | 35 | +20.7% |
For the 0 building fires Allenspark departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 19 building fires investigators classified across 2021–2025. The room or location where ignition occurred — kitchens, bedrooms, exterior, vehicle areas — tells you where to focus prevention.
| # | Area of origin | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 21.1% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 4 | 21.1% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 5 | Function area, other | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Dining room, cafeteria bar area, beverage service | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 8 | Conduit, pipe, utility, or ventilation shaft | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 9 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 10 | Exterior, exposed surface | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 1 | 5.3% |
NFIRS Heat Source (HEAT_SOURC) — the physical thing that started it. Spark or ember from operating equipment, an open flame, smoking materials, or hot embers from a fireplace are the leading culprits nationwide. Here's the Allenspark mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 5 | 26.3% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 3 | 15.8% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 15.8% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 10.5% | |
| 7 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 5.3% | |
| 8 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 5.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Allenspark departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $25,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Fire in mobile prop. used as a fixed struc., other | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Allenspark sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 584,791 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 208,913 | 33.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Recreation and ceremony | 193,812 | 38.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 87,275 | 26.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 14,833 | 38.4 mi | |
| 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | 10,599 | 18.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10,106 | 7.9 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 8,908 | 35.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Recreation and ceremony | 7,685 | 37.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 6,382 | 13.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,200 | 43.6 mi | |
| 2002 | Equipment and vehicle use | 4,348 | 8.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3,869 | 8.3 mi |
Top 3 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Colorado cities with population within ±25% of Allenspark. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Allenspark.
A 30-minute weekend can cut your home's exposure substantially. These four checklists are a good starting point.
Numbers reflect incidents reported by participating fire departments to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) Public Data Release for calendar year 2025. NFIRS is voluntary — about 23,000 of roughly 30,000 US fire departments report — so totals are a strong indicator, not a complete census. Per-capita comparisons use 2023 ACS population estimates. Wildland fire data complements NFIRS with NIFC and USFS perimeters. Active-fire counts come from a dated NIFC snapshot, not a live feed.