GYPSUM — Don’t ask Aaron Zinser about which job he’s working. The answer gets complicated very quickly. The 37-year-old Eagle County paramedic is a firefighter who can provide medical care on the frontlines of wildfire. He’s also certified to care for patients aboard military helicopters. He’s also a search and rescue medic who deploys with […]
Cameron Peak fire
Posted inEnvironment, News, Wildfire
Four large wildfires burning in Colorado have cost $77 million to fight — so far
The four largest wildfires burning in Colorado have cost upwards of $77 million to fight, with more than 206,000 acres burned as of Monday morning. But despite cooler weather over the past weekend that helped firefighters make progress toward containment, there’s still a long way to go before the fire season’s tab will close out. […]
Posted inCOVID, Environment, Health, News, Wildfire
Is your throat scratchy from Colorado’s wildfire smoke or coronavirus? Here’s how to tell.
The haze that’s blocking out the mountains, blue sky and even the sun across much of Colorado is full of tiny particles that are about 1/30th the width of a human hair. They’re coming from the “biomass combustion” of wildfires in Colorado and California, and they’re so small that a mask will not stop them […]
Posted inNews, Transportation, Wildfire
I-70 reopens through Glenwood Canyon after two week closure; fires continue to burn across Colorado
Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon reopened to motorists on Monday morning after a two-week closure because of the Grizzly Creek fire. The Colorado Department of Transportation says the reopening is a “limited” one. “CDOT asks that motorists prepare for reduced speeds, no stopping in the canyon and closures due to mudslides and other events,” the […]
Posted inEnvironment, Health, News, Outdoors, Wildfire
Train service resumes in Glenwood Canyon, wildfires grow to a combined 179,000 acres
GLENWOOD SPRINGS — Trains have started moving again through Glenwood Canyon where railroad tracks were closed because of an ongoing wildfire. But it could be several more days before motorists will be allowed on Interstate 70 through the mountain corridor. Union Pacific and Amtrak resumed service through Glenwood Springs after closing the tracks in Glenwood […]
Posted inBusiness, News, Wildfire
You’ve seen those massive jets fighting Colorado’s wildfires. Meet the pilots who get “down and dirty” flying them.
When he’s nosing his widebody jet into narrow, smoke-choked Colorado canyons, Capt. Dan Montelli says that’s when things get “sporty.” It’s smoky. The massive jet with a 155-foot wingspan is barreling 300-feet off the deck. The trees that are 150-feet tall feel like they are tickling the plane’s belly. The flames can be taller than […]
Posted inNews, Wildfire
Pine Gulch fire grows to second-largest in Colorado history; investigators seek tips on Cameron Peak fire’s ignition
A wildfire burning in remote terrain in western Colorado is now the second largest in the state’s history, fire officials said Wednesday. As of Wednesday morning, the so-called “Pine Gulch” fire spread across 125,108 acres, or 195.5 square miles, according to the Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center, the inter-agency which coordinates wildfire and other hazard […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Wildfire
The Grizzly Creek fire is threatening the Colorado River and water for the entire West
EAGLE — White River National Forest Supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams was driving home from vacation on Aug. 10 when he glanced up and saw the plumes billowing out of Glenwood Canyon and knew a historic wildfire was coming. It wasn’t just that the flames licking up the craggy canyon walls were threatening homes, a railroad, a […]
Posted inNews, Wildfire
More than 100,000 acres are now burning Colorado as fire near Fraser quickly grows
More than 100,000 acres of land in western Colorado was burning as of Saturday evening as four major fires continued to grow and prompt evacuations. The Williams Fork fire near Fraser ballooned to more than 4,100 acres on Saturday. It started midday Friday. The fire is 0% contained and officials say they don’t know what […]