Folks at TV-news operations would never suggest that they love fires -- but the truth is, flames look great on television, particularly after darkness falls. This fact was reconfirmed by last night's coverage of an ongoing conflagaration in Boulder County, which has resulted in the destruction of at least three homes and the evacuation of more than 900 households at this writing. The video I caught on all the major Denver channels was consistently mesmerizing, with the assorted correspondents generally stepping up to the challenge. They clearly seemed pleased to be reporting on a gripping event, as opposed to cobbling together filler about approaching storms or car accidents.
For me, though, the standout was 9News' Kyle Clark, who manned the microphone throughout yesterday afternoon and evening, and was back on the case this morning prior to 6 a.m. Even when fleeing from the flames, he displayed a becoming gravitas, and his extemporaneous descriptions avoided the sort of hyperbole ("the biggest... the worst... the most damaging...") that comes with this territory all too often. Of such things local TV stars are made. Click here to see last night's 9News late update. -- Michael Roberts