Colorado Governor Jared Polis verbally declared a disaster emergency Monday in response to the Schwachheim Fire, which is burning on more than 300 acres within the Lake Dorothy State Wildlife Area near Trinidad.

The declaration activates the State Emergency Operations Plan and directs the Colorado Department of Public Safety, along with its Divisions of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and Fire Prevention and Control, to take all necessary actions to assist with response, recovery, and mitigation efforts.

State support includes engine and hand crews to aid containment, aerial resources from the Division of Fire Prevention and Control, and a state-sponsored Type 3 Incident Management Team to manage incident response.