Volunteers reseed grassland burned over by Ordway wildfire

ORDWAY — Volunteers have begun planting grass seed on about 4 1/2 square miles left bare by a wildfire around Ordway in southeastern Colorado.

The fire broke out three weeks ago and charred a total of about 14 square miles, killing two firefighters and destroying eight homes.

The grass-planting got under way Saturday, a day later than planned because of high winds.

It’s a delicate process because if the seeds are too deep they won’t grow, but the shallow planting means they could be blown away, especially if rain doesn’t fall soon.

County officials say most of the land being seeded has been fallow for several years because the rights to irrigation water have been sold to city utilities.