Colorado inmate firefighters have been on the frontlines of nearly half a dozen recent wildfires, including the most catastrophic inferno in state history, which sparked long before the start of what was once believed to be “wildfire season.” They work alongside the state’s seasonal wildland fire crews, but after their work is done, the inmates […]
Wildfire
Posted inNews
“Our history is gone”: Four families, 6 months after the Marshall fire
Wearing other people’s clothes and living in apartments that feel empty, families displaced by the Marshall fire have started over from nothing. It’s been six months since the wind-whipped fire skipped through Boulder County, burning about 1,000 homes in Superior and Louisville. Since then, winter has turned to summer, and thousands still are in limbo, […]
Posted inGrowth, Health, News, Politics and Government, Wildfire
Colorado passed new laws intended to help tenants. But those affected by the Marshall fire say they’re not working.
Before the Marshall fire burned about 1,000 homes in Louisville and Superior and rained potentially toxic ash on hundreds of others, Colorado strengthened laws for tenants doing battle with landlords. One law change in 2020 prohibited price gouging, including for rent, after a disaster. Another recent legislative update said landlords have 24 hours to address […]
Posted inNews, Wildfire
Woman cited with causing Boulder County grassfire after pouring ashes from fire pit in her garden
A 48-year-old woman was cited for causing a grassfire in eastern Boulder County, after she spread still-smoldering ashes from her fire pit in her garden, thinking they would be a good fertilizer, authorities said Thursday. Helena Syrovatkova, of unincorporated Boulder County, was accused of causing the April 19 fire along the Tally Ho trail after […]
Posted inMarshall Fire
After-action report finds numerous shortcomings in Marshall fire emergency communications
Despite communication barriers, about 37,500 people fled the area in about three to four hours, according to an after-action report which called the effort “unprecedented.”
Posted inNews
“The End” bus tour depicts an apocalyptic Denver to help spur climate change action
Boil-water orders remained in effect, curfews were strictly enforced and people without water service to their homes were encouraged to contact local authorities. Extreme heat and power outages afflicted much of east-central Colorado, as harmful levels of airborne particulates filled the air in Denver and its neighboring counties. “Children, youth and people with compromised immune […]
Posted inNews, Outdoors, Wildfire
How to plan a hike during wildfire season in Colorado
The forecast called for blue skies and temperatures in the mid 70s — a “perfect day for hiking,” some would say — when the Plumtaw fire sparked last month north of Pagosa Springs. Conditions were also pretty good for a fast-moving fire to rush through the heavy forest toward a popular trail that guides backpackers, […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Outdoors, Water, Wildfire
Over 20 years, the Hayman fire’s footprint opened a window into Colorado wildfire future
On a parched spring morning amid gusting wind, electronic signs on the roads around Deckers blink a warning of wildfire danger. But as Carol Ekarius directs a vehicle up narrow Matukat Road in this expanse of the Pike National Forest, the vista suddenly opens like a portal to the future. Welcome to the now 20-year-old […]
Posted inClimate, Environment, News, Wildfire
100 firefighters work to contain Bear Dance fire threatening Ignacio, Southern Ute tribal campus
About 100 firefighters continued to battle the Bear Dance fire on Saturday, a wildfire that flared to life just after noon Friday and threatened the town of Ignacio and the Southern Ute Tribal campus in southwest Colorado. Fire crews were working to set a perimeter around the fire that had by 3:40 p.m. Saturday consumed […]
Posted inNews, Wildfire
Deadly East Troublesome fire was human caused, authorities say, possibly by hunter or camper
The East Troublesome fire, which in October 2020 killed two people as it torched nearly 200,000 acres and destroyed scores of homes in Grand County, was caused by a human or humans, authorities said Friday. The U.S. Forest Service says that they made the determination “based on evidence gathered at the fire’s origin” north of […]