‘We Have a Rattlesnake Problem’: Wildland Firefighters in the West Must Also Face a Slithering, Venomous Foe

More than 80 large wildfires are burning in the United States right now, scorching parts of California, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and other states amid hot, dry weather.

The firefighters tasked with battling these blazes face a wide array of obstacles, from uneven terrain and poison oak to high winds and bone-dry vegetation. But, in some parts of the West, they must also protect themselves against another, potentially deadly threat: rattlesnakes.

“We have a rattlesnake problem to deal with,” Mark Techmeyer, a spokesman for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado, told reporters last week, as reported by Fox 31 KDVR.

Techmeyer was providing an update on the Quarry Fire that’s burning in the foothills southwest of Denver. Since being discovered Tuesday morning, it’s seared more than 550 acres of steep, rocky terrain. (It's since been contained to a somewhat smaller expanse.) In addition to maneuvering carefully, firefighters must also watch out for prairie rattlesnakes, which are so prevalent in the area that one section is even named “Rattlesnake Gulch.”

Rattlesnakes an issue for crews battling Colorado wildfire

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Prairie rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis) are one of three venomous snake species in Colorado, along with massasauga and midget faded rattlesnakes. They prefer to lay low, but will defend themselves if provoked. Their bites are not usually fatal, but can sometimes kill people.

Right now, female rattlesnakes in Colorado are preparing to give birth, so they’re hunkered down in secluded, protected areas called dens. (At an undisclosed location in northern Colorado, scientists are live-streaming a rattlesnake den this summer as part of their research.) Males and non-pregnant females, meanwhile, are roaming around and hunting.

Firefighters are likely encountering lots of these slithery creatures because they’ve stumbled upon a den. But, in addition, “fire can certainly make them move,” says Brian Aucone, chief conservation officer at the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, to 9News’ Alexander Kirk. Snakes—like other wild animals—will try to flee or find shelter when a wildfire burns through their habitat, he adds.

#QuarryFire update:
- Media presser: 2pm at 10500 W Ute Ave. Please park on the south shoulder of Ute.
- 472 acres.
- 35% containment.
- 190 firefighters.
- 13 engines.
- Successful burn overnight with less than 50 acres left to go.
- Electrical power that was shut down yesterday… pic.twitter.com/tFGcZbOII9

— Jeffco Sheriff (@jeffcosheriffco) August 5, 2024

Rattlesnakes have also been a problem for firefighters in Wyoming and California. Last week, while providing an update on the Apache Fire near Santa Barbara, the U.S. Forest Service reported that “rattlesnakes are being encountered on the fireline at an increasing rate compared to past days.”

Rattlesnakes aside, this summer has been a particularly bad one for wildfires in the U.S. As of August 2, wildfires had already burned 4.7 million acres so far in 2024, which is 113 percent higher than the 10-year average for the same period, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

Overall, wildfire season is getting longer. Fires are also becoming more frequent and they’re burning through larger areas. Human-caused climate change is partially to blame, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, along with insect infestations, land-use changes, the proliferation of invasive plant species and other factors.

Using satellite data, researchers recently found that the frequency and magnitude of the most extreme wildfires had doubled over the last two decades. The study, published in June in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, also found that six most extreme fire years on record have occurred since 2017.

“It’s absolutely in keeping with what climate change is doing to fire weather around the world,” said study co-author Calum Cunningham, a pyrogeographer at the University of Tasmania, to the Washington Post’s Sarah Raza. “Climate change is making fire weather more extreme and more frequent in a lot of the world.”

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Sarah Kuta is a writer and editor based in Longmont, Colorado. She covers history, science, travel, food and beverage, sustainability, economics and other topics.