As wildfires rage in nearby communities, what does that mean for the Upper Pine and Los Pinos fire districts?

"We're OK," said Tom Aurnhammer, chief of Los Pinos Fire Protection District. "We're a little busy."

Upper Pine River Fire had an ambulance and crew on duty at the 416 fire this month. Los Pinos has two water tenders that have been helping provide water to the air tanker base at the Durango-La Plata County Airport. The department's wildfire crew also assisted the Bureau of Indian Affairs staff while fighting last week's Montezuma Creek Fire on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation, Aurnhammer said.

The department also is prepared for any wildland fire call during a time of Stage 3 fire restrictions, he added.

"We are ready to go," he said. "I ask the public to be extremely careful with any interaction with fire, or anything else. It's so dry, I'm scared, and normally I don't get scared."