JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Firefighters fighting the Quarry Fire in Jefferson County, southwest of the Denver metro area, have a new problem to deal with in rocky, steep and dry terrain.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said in a news conference Wednesday morning that wildfire crews are dealing with rattlesnakes.
"We have a rattlesnake problem to deal with," said Mark Techmeyer, director of public affairs for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. "There's even an area there called 'Rattlesnake Gulch,' they're so prevalent there. So we have a lot of things to be concerned about for our firefighters today. Our No. 1 priority is to keep them safe."
Brian Aucone, chief conservation officer at the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, said there are a high number of prairie rattlesnakes along Colorado's Front Range.
"There's actually quite a lot of prairie rattlesnakes along the Front Range here, particularly in the foothills," Aucone said. "What I believe is probably happening at Rattlesnake Gulch is that there's probably a rattlesnake den. So they den over winter and a lot of places called 'rattlesnake-something' tends to be because there's den."
"At certain times of year, you see a lot of them because they're coming out of their dens, coming out for the summer and spring and fall seasons to go forage, but they do disperse from there," Aucone said. "They do go out into the wilderness and do their thing all summer long and come back in the fall."
"While there's high prevalence at some times of the year, right now there's probably good dispersal, but fire can certainly make them move," he said.
"Usually they're going to try and go underground, they can also move out, but it's something firefighters likely have to deal with any time they are fighting fires, particularly in the foothills here."
Aucone said rattlesnakes, like other wildlife, are aware of wildfire.
"If they're in the vicinity of the wildfire, they're certainly aware of it, and they are probably retreating or finding shelter," Aucone said. "They know their habitat very well. They know their home ranges, and they know their spots are where they can get underground, all of those things, so they're very familiar with all of that, so they're probably heading there."
"When a fire moves super fast upon them, they're going to retreat just like other animals are," he said. "They're likely going to try to find shelter, let the fire burn through and come back out."
The Quarry Fire burned about 200 acres in the area of Deer Creek Canyon Road, just west of Grizzly Drive. The fire was spotted by a deputy during routine patrols around 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Techmeyer described the open space area where the fire is burning as very mountainous and full of scrub brush and said it's difficult to navigate on foot.
