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 […]
hayman fire
Posted inCrime and Courts, News, Wildfire
Charges dropped in case of Danish man accused of starting Spring Creek fire near La Veta in 2018
By Colleen Slevin, The Associated Press A judge on Monday dismissed criminal charges against a Danish man accused of starting a Colorado wildfire that destroyed about 140 homes in 2018 after he was repeatedly found unable to stand trial. It was not clear what would happen to Jesper Joergensen, who has been diagnosed with delusional […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Coloradans, Environment, Growth, Health, Wildfire
The high cost of climate change is already straining the budgets of Colorado towns
The Grizzly Creek fire still is smoldering, but Glenwood Springs is already contemplating the challenges it will leave behind: severe damage to the forest drainages the Western Slope city depends upon for its drinking water. “We are concerned about a lot of mud and ash coming down the creek,” said Shelly Kaup, the city’s mayor […]
Posted inClimate, Environment, News, Wildfire
Five charts that show where 2020 ranks in Colorado wildfire history
This post was updated on Oct. 23, 2020, to account for new acreage figures from still-burning fires. Back in April, fire chiefs across Colorado were so alarmed at the possibility of fighting a raging fire season this summer while also fighting a raging pandemic that they urged Gov. Jared Polis to preemptively issue a statewide […]
Posted inNews, Wildfire
Pine Gulch fire becomes largest in Colorado history as firefighters near full containment
The Pine Gulch fire has become the largest blaze in Colorado history, having torched more than 139,000 acres. Incident command provided an updated size for the fire near Grand Junction on Thursday night. The blaze is now larger than the 2002 Hayman fire west of Colorado Springs, which burned roughly 138,000 acres and destroyed 133 […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Nicolais: Colorado forest fires have become a devastating marker of summer
The blood red setting sun shrouded by smoky haze captured my attention as I walked by Kountze Lake in Belmar Park a few days ago. Combined with the sharp taste of acidic air, my mind immediately traveled back to 2002. Nearly two decades removed from the moment, I still remember driving along the eastbound 6th […]
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 […]