The heat is on for drillers in the Rockies as fires spread

Operators across the US Rocky Mountain region are bracing themselves for the onslaught of what could become a record year for wildfires there.

Very low winter snow levels have led to the early onset of drought conditions in the valleys along Rocky Mountain states like Colorado, Wyoming and Utah.

Producers in Colorado alone had to shut more than 125 wells in the prolific Piceance basin natural gas play as wildfires swept through the area.

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