Danger In The Dark? Wildfires Are Becoming More Difficult To Fight At Night

WINTERS (CBS13) - During aggressive wildland blazes, firefighters favor overnight hours because low temperatures and weaker winds help to battle the blaze, but now, one Colorado research institute says that's no longer the case.

The Cooperative Institute For Research at the University of Colorado, Boulder — using satellites and climate data — found that nights are warming faster than days and the cool, moist nighttime conditions that typically provide relief to firefighters aren't as common as they used to be.

That means nighttime hours are no longer helping in the firefight.

We asked the Winters Fire Department if nighttime conditions are supposed to help firefighters.

"It's supposed to be, but sometimes we don't get that," said Winters Fire Captain Art Mendoza.

He has been with the fire department for more than 30 years.

"I've seen the same fire behavior during the evening that we get during the day," he said.

Mendoza relies on his team's preparedness to fight wildland fires, but he said there are other players in the game.

"It's a community effort," said Joe O'Donnell, who lives in the area.

"We have climate change and we just have to adapt to it," said Joe's wife Martha O'Donnell.

Thursday is a red flag warning day which means controlled burns like the one the Winters Fire Department responded to Wednesday evening are not allowed.