This glossary focuses on wildfire, smoke and the aftermath. Definitions are general; the agencies managing a specific fire may use slightly different wording, and their notices take priority.
Before and during a fire
- Wildland-urban interface (WUI)
- Areas where homes meet or mix with undeveloped forest, brush or grassland. Much of the western and northern edge of Colorado Springs falls into this category.
- Pre-evacuation or evacuation warning
- A notice to get ready to leave. Some people, such as those with mobility needs or large animals, should go at this stage.
- Mandatory evacuation
- An order to leave now. Roads may close behind you.
- Shelter in place
- An instruction to stay indoors because leaving is more dangerous than staying.
- Red flag warning
- A National Weather Service alert for warm, dry, windy conditions that let fires spread quickly.
- Spotting
- Embers blown ahead of the main fire that start new fires, sometimes far from the front.
- Defensible space
- The area around a home kept clear or lean of fuel so firefighters can work and flames are less likely to reach the walls.
- Home ignition zone
- The house itself and the area immediately around it, often divided into zones by distance.
After the fire
- Burn scar
- The area a wildfire burned. Burn scars shed rain quickly and can produce flash floods and debris flows for several years.
- Debris flow
- A fast-moving slurry of water, mud, rocks and burned material, common on steep burn scars during heavy rain.
- Hydrophobic soil
- Soil that repels water after intense heat, increasing runoff.
- Ash
- The powdery remains of burned material. Wildfire ash is alkaline and can irritate skin and lungs.
- Soot
- Fine black carbon particles from incomplete burning. Often oily and harder to clean than ash.
- Char
- Burned material, such as partially burned wood or bark, larger than soot or ash particles.
- Smoke damage
- Residue and odor deposited by smoke on surfaces and in materials, even where nothing burned.
- Re-entry
- Permission from authorities to return to an evacuated area, sometimes limited or escorted at first.
Where to find official notices
- Evacuations
- Local emergency alerts, the El Paso County Sheriff and the City of Colorado Springs
- Weather alerts
- National Weather Service forecasts for the Pueblo area, which covers El Paso County
- Air quality
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment air quality reports
- Insurance help
- Colorado Division of Insurance consumer resources
General information for Colorado Springs, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.