Colorado National Guard activated for wildfire response

Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday morning ordered a wildfire-related Colorado National Guard activation for the first time since 2021.

It has been more than 2 1/2 years since the destructive Marshall Fire in Boulder County. That was the last time Colorado's governor issued an order for the guard to respond to a wildfire burning in the state.

Soldiers from the Colorado National Guard will be helping with the response to the Alexander Mountain Fire burning in Larimer County as well as other fires on the Front Range.

"And to be clear, the Colorado National Guard are not the firefighters. They are the ones who are able to take additional support positions -- road closures, logistics -- then free up other first responders to more directly respond to the fire," said Gov. Jared Polis in a Wednesday afternoon news conference.

Polis said the guard will be in place near several wildfires starting Wednesday evening.

"We're transitioning some of those traffic and logistics-related functions to the Colorado National Guard who stands ready."