COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Don't be alarmed if you see smoke rising in Commerce City over the next few weeks.
> Above video: How Colorado snowpack is measured
Prescribed fire burning activities are planned at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge throughout March. About 300 acres was burned Tuesday and an additional 200 acres will be burned Wednesday, according to the Refuge. The burning is taking place in the area of 64th and Peoria.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it plans to burn 1,138 acres over four weeks starting March 6 and continuing through the end of the month.
The burns will be conducted between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Smoke will be visible for several miles from the perimeter of the refuge and people in the area may smell smoke.
The purpose of the burns is to reinvigorate the growth of native prairie vegetation, reduce accumulated litter, manage efforts for weed control and improve habitat to sustain wildlife, said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Prescribed burns are a tool land managers use to reduce the risk of wildfire in the wildland urban interface.
Interagency fire crews from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, other federal agencies and local fire departments will be participating in the prescribed burns.
Prescribed fire smoke may affect your health. For more information, see colorado.gov.
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