Two wind-whipped grassland fires in rural southeastern Colorado destroyed two homes, briefly closed a state highway and forced temporary evacuations in the unincorporated community of Fort Lyon, fire officials said. The fires erupted Tuesday west and east of the town of Las Animas and had blackened nearly 8 square miles by Wednesday, according to the […]
fires
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Fire at Denver Broncos’s stadium torches seats, suite area
Firefighters extinguished a blaze that torched several rows of seats and a suite area at the Denver Broncos’ stadium on Thursday. The fire broke out in the third-level seating area at Empower Field at Mile High just after 2 p.m. and burned at least six rows in two sections. Firefighters quickly brought the blaze under […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, News
Two hurt after explosion, fire at Westminster apartment complex
WESTMINSTER — Authorities say a fire engulfed an eight-unit residential building after an explosion at a suburban Denver apartment complex on Wednesday, slightly injuring two people. The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known. Westminster police Investigator Cheri Spottke said authorities believed everyone was accounted for as firefighters continued to extinguish the blaze, which was […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Zornio: For me and others, escaping the Marshall fire comes with a heavy dose of survivor’s guilt
The first text arrived at 12:08 p.m. “A fire near you?” Looking out a south-facing window, the sky streaked blue. The next came at 12:09 p.m. “Grass fire shut down 36 into Boulder.” I ran outside to look west, braving the same 100-plus mph wind gusts that had felled my fence and trees just days […]
Posted inNews
First phone alert for the Marshall fire sent 42 minutes after it started — and only to 215 contacts
The first phone alert warning Boulder County residents to flee the Marshall fire was sent at least 42 minutes after flames broke out — at most to 215 people. By then, at least one structure had burned and the wind-driven fire was on its way toward consuming more than 1,000 homes and businesses, becoming the […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Littwin: Boulder County wildfire comes to the wrong place at the wrong time. You can expect it to happen again.
I was on the phone with a friend when I heard the news of the dangerous grass fires in Boulder County and how Colorado’s high-tempo dance with wildfires had come to the suburbs. It was clear pretty early that this was not a chain-clanging warning of Christmas seasons yet to come. This was an end-of-year […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Environment, Housing, News, Politics and Government, Wildfire
Colorado doesn’t have a statewide building code. Would enacting one help protect homes against wildfire?
A handful of Democratic state lawmakers are interested in pursuing legislation next year that would enact a statewide minimum building code in Colorado as part of broader long-term efforts to prepare for wildfires driven by a warming climate. The new code could help unlock millions of dollars in federal grant funding to protect communities against […]
Posted inNews
Heavy smoke from West Coast wildfires is expected to blanket Colorado this weekend
Heavy smoke from wildfires in California and Oregon is expected to blow from northwestern Colorado across much of the state Friday afternoon and Saturday, causing hazy conditions and one of the heaviest fine particulate matter concentrations of the year, according to an advisory from the state’s health department and the National Weather Service. Residents sensitive […]
Posted inCOVID, News, Wildfire
Colorado-based Global SuperTanker firefighting plane may be sold to assist COVID-19 response
By Patty Nieberg, The Associated Press/Report for America As Western states prepare for this year’s wildfire season, the world’s largest firefighting plane has been grounded and could be converted to help fight against another crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic. After investing tens of millions into upgrading the Global SuperTanker and its technology, the revenue coming mostly […]
Posted inNews, Wildfire
It’s not clear when Hanging Lake will reopen after the Grizzly Creek fire
GRANT JUNCTION — Colorado officials are uncertain when public access will be restored to a popular lake area that was closed after a wildfire struck last year. The Daily Sentinel reports that officials hope to restore access to Hanging Lake in Glenwood Canyon sometime in 2021. The Grizzly Creek Fire started in August and burned […]