Stars and Bars RestorationGovernor Polis put pen to paper on September 17 to formalize something Las Animas County has been living with since mid-August: a state disaster declaration for four wildfires that burned across the southeastern part of the county near Kim. The Executive Order memorializes a verbal disaster declaration Lt. Governor Primavera made back on August 13 for the Post, Sheep Pen, High Fence, and Gotera Fires — and it activates the State Emergency Operations Plan, puts the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the Division of Fire Prevention and Control in charge of response and recovery, and calls in the Colorado National Guard in an unarmed support role for evacuations and mitigation work.
By the numbers: the Sheep Pen, High Fence, and Gotera Fires collectively burned about 858 acres and were fully contained by August 17. The Post Fire, the largest of the four, burned roughly 4,335 acres and was reported 90% contained as of September 8. All four fires were centered in the rural country southeast of Kim, in far southeastern Las Animas County — a different part of the county than Trinidad itself, but connected to it by the same drainages that eventually feed toward the Purgatoire River system.
If you live, ranch, or own property anywhere near that burn footprint, the fire itself isn't the thing we'd want you worrying about right now. It's what happens the first time a real rainstorm sits over that ground.
Why a Burned Hillside Floods Differently Than a Green One
We've walked this exact scenario with families after the Aspen Acres and Gold Mountain fires up in Pueblo and Custer counties, and the physics are the same no matter which county the fire burned in. Healthy vegetation and topsoil absorb rain and slow it down. Fire strips that away and, worse, it can bake the top layer of soil into something almost waterproof — what's called a hydrophobic layer. Rain that would normally soak in instead runs straight off, picking up ash, ash-laden soil, and burned debris as it goes.
That means a burn scar can generate flash flooding from a rainstorm that wouldn't have caused any trouble on unburned ground — and it can happen with less warning, because the water moves faster and carries more debris than a homeowner expects. This isn't a theoretical risk for southeastern Las Animas County. It's the direct, predictable next chapter after any wildfire of this size, and it typically remains elevated for two to five years until vegetation and soil structure recover.
What This Means If You're Downhill or Downstream of the Burn Area
You don't have to have lost anything in the fire itself to be at risk from what comes after it. If your property sits downhill of the Post, Sheep Pen, High Fence, or Gotera burn footprint, or along a drainage, arroyo, or low-lying road that channels runoff from that direction, here's what we'd want you watching for:
- Any drainage or normally-dry arroyo running faster or muddier than usual after rain — that's often the first visible sign that burned ground upstream is shedding water instead of absorbing it.
- NWS flash flood watches or warnings that specifically mention burn scar areas. The National Weather Service issues separate, more urgent language for burn scar zones because the flood can arrive in minutes, not hours. Check active alerts at weather.gov before storms roll through, especially now through the next couple of fall rain systems.
- Debris and ash buildup in culverts, ditches, and low points on your property. A culvert that handled a normal storm fine last year can be overwhelmed by ash and debris this year, backing water up somewhere it's never gone before.
- New erosion channels or gullies forming on burned slopes — these often deepen fast with each rain event and can redirect water toward structures that were never in a flood path before.
What To Do Before the Next Storm
1. Know your property's drainage path. Walk it now, in dry weather, and identify where water from the burned area upstream would actually go if it ran off hard and fast.
2. Clear culverts and ditches of debris now, not after a flash flood watch is already posted. A clogged culvert turns a manageable storm into standing water against your foundation.
3. Consider sandbags or barriers at known low points if your property sits in a likely runoff path — this is far cheaper before water's moving than after.
4. Have a plan for livestock and vehicles if you're on rural acreage near the burn area — burn scar flash floods move fast enough that "wait and see" isn't always an option once water starts moving.
5. Sign up for county emergency alerts if you haven't — Las Animas County's emergency notifications will carry burn-scar-specific flood warnings faster than general weather apps in most cases.
If Water Does Get Into Your Home
Ash-laden floodwater is its own category of mess — it's not clean water, and it often carries contaminants beyond normal storm runoff. Don't wait on cleanup once water recedes; wet drywall, insulation, and flooring start growing mold within 24 to 48 hours, and ash residue can etch into surfaces the longer it sits.
We're IICRC certified and set up for exactly this kind of response — as a veteran-owned company based right here in southern Colorado, we've handled burn scar flooding after wildfires from Pueblo County down to the edge of Las Animas County, and we know the difference between a normal water damage job and one complicated by ash and fire debris. If your property near Kim, Trinidad, or anywhere else in Las Animas County takes on water after a storm, call us at (719) 676-2456 — we run a 24/7 emergency line for exactly this reason.
For the general fire damage picture in this part of the state, our guide to fire and smoke damage restoration in Trinidad and Las Animas County covers what to do if a structure itself was affected. And if you want the broader playbook on what we've learned from burn scar flooding after other southern Colorado fires, our piece on post-wildfire flash flooding walks through the same risk pattern in more detail.
This declaration doesn't mean the danger is over — it means the state is acknowledging what's still ahead for the recovery. Don't wait for a flood watch to figure out your risk. Call us at (719) 676-2456 if you have questions about your specific property, even before anything has happened.