The Forest Service and their partners have been working on recovery since the fires stopped burning. Their latest project: restoring fish habitats with Trout Unlimited.
Williams Fork fire
Posted inNews
Emergency alerts were a problem long before the Marshall fire, reports show
More than 10,000 calls warning residents to flee failed when the Waldo Canyon fire exploded near Colorado Springs in 2012. Thousands of people were left without warnings as flames destroyed 347 homes and killed two people. That same year, evacuation alerts were sent to the wrong phone numbers during the Lower North Fork fire — […]
Posted inNews, Outdoors
Arapaho, Roosevelt National Forests to start requiring reservations after 200% spike in recreation
Every weekend last year, hundreds of cars spilled from trailheads, lining forest roads for miles. Wait times stretched for hours just to get inside Forest Service welcome centers at Brainard Lake and Mount Evans. Wildfires scorched more than a quarter of the 1.5 million acre Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. And still, the easy-to-access forest’s […]
Posted inClimate, Energy, Environment, News, Wildfire
Xcel Energy looks to avoid Colorado wildfires — and PG&E’s fate — and wants customers to pay for it
Xcel Energy wants to charge its Colorado customers $589.7 million during the next five years to reduce their risk of causing wildfires, but consumer advocates aren’t buying it. Xcel’s subsidiary, Public Service Company of Colorado, has cited the catastrophic wildfires in California started by Pacific Gas and Electric as motivation for the proposal. Xcel, which […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, COVID, Environment, Outdoors, Water, Wildfire
“Too many uncontrollables”: From coronavirus to wildfires, Colorado’s hunting season brings a slew of uncertainties
Earl Oesterling first noticed the smoke plumes of the Cameron Peak fire near his business, Ivory & Antler Outfitters, in mid-August. He knew that signaled trouble for hunting even beyond the crowds and the drought that already beset the area. The Jackson County outfitter, located about 20 miles west of what became a massive wildfire […]
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 inColoradans, News, Wildfire
Meet the Colorado helicopter medic trained to rescue wildland firefighters
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 […]
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 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 […]