SAN JUAN COUNTY, N.M. – San Juan County may have lifted their burning ban, but that doesn’t mean that folks should let their guards down.

Temperatures are rising and the Colorado State Forest Service is declaring naming May Wildfire Awareness Month.

KOB 4 spoke to forest officials, who say it’s time for folks to start preparing for the upcoming fire season. 

“I think we’re currently sitting around 30% of our normal snow pack. Fuels are going to dry out a lot faster, and our fire season is going to be a lot longer, potentially,” said Bryce Powell, forester with the Colorado Forest Service Durango Office. 

It’s Wildfire Awareness Month and the Colorado State Forest Service is urging folks to prepared.

“Some of our long-range forecasts call for heightened fire potentials, especially for the month of June for southwest Colorado and northern New Mexico. So this year is really important to stay vigilant in protecting your home from a wildfire,” said Powell.

So now is the perfect time for outdoor spring cleaning and make a plan to reduce your risk of losing your home to a wildfire.

Powell says these are things you need to be on the lookout for:

“Pine needles, on roofs and gutters, and on decks, firewood stacks up against the house,” Powell said. “Really clean the area around your home, raking leaves from the 5 ft around your structure, cleaning any roof, any gutters, and walling off any decks.”

You should also store firewood at least 30 feet from your home, move items under your porch or deck to storage, and prune any branches hanging over your roof. But, it’s not just right next to your house you need to keep an eye on.

“Really, that 100 ft around the home can make a big difference in whether a home burns in a wildfire or is protected,” said Powell. “About 90% of all homes that are lost to wildfires are from flying embers in the air. Embers can travel a pretty big distance away from the actual fire.”

In Colorado, fire seasons last about 78 days longer now than back in the 1970s.