Evan Semón
Audio By Carbonatix
Wildfires have spread quickly and violently across western and southern Colorado, forcing evacuation notices around the state, destroying homes and killing three firefighters over the weekend as thousands of acres burn.
According to the fire monitoring service Watch Duty, nine major fires and a handful of minor blazes were active across Colorado by early Tuesday, June 30. Only one of those larger fires, the Red Rock fire west of De Beque, was under majority containment.
Gov. Jared Polis has issued an emergency declaration and called in the National Guard to battle the Snyder fire on the Utah border, where three U.S. Wildland Fire Service firefighters were killed on June 28. As of early this morning, the Snyder fire had burned over 30,000 acres in Utah and western Colorado, and was 0% contained. Road closures near the fires are in place for Grand and Mesa counties, according to local officials, but evacuation orders have not been issued yet.
Polis, public safety and fire officials, and senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet visited the Snyder fire’s command post in Fruita on Monday to provide a statewide update.
“Fire risk in Colorado is increasing, and our communities are feeling the firsthand impacts of severe drought and imminent fire danger. It is more important than ever that we all do our part to stop fires before they start, use our water resources responsibly, and help protect our communities,” Polis said. “Colorado is strong and if we work together we can prevent and protect our land and people we care about.”
The governor has declared another emergency in Ouray County, where the Gold Mountain fire is burning. The fire had burned nearly 8,300 acres had burned as of early Tuesday morning, according to Watch Duty, and the fire was estimated at 0% containment. Much of Ouray County went under evacuation orders on June 29.
Polis announced yesterday that all flags on state buildings will fly at half-staff to honor the three fallen firefighters: Emily Barker, 38, from Clinton Township, Michigan; Nick Hutcherson, 27, from Glendale, Arizona; and Sydney Watson, 27, from Warrior, Alabama. Two other firefighters are in the hospital for burn injuries over the weekend
The Aspen Acres fire in southern Colorado, near Pueblo County, ballooned from a few hundred acres on Monday morning to over 23,000 by Tuesday morning, according to Watch Duty. Local officials said high winds have made containing the fire, still reportedly at 0% containment, extremely difficult. Polis issued an emergency declaration and deployed additional state resources to help fight the Aspen Acres fires on June 29.
On Monday night, FEMA authorized federal funds to pay for 75% of Colorado’s “eligible firefighting costs” associated with the Aspen fire. (These grants are not for home or business owners and do not cover other infrastructure damage caused by the fire, according to FEMA.)
According to the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, multiple homes have been destroyed and a “number of structures” have been effected by the fire so far. Evacuation orders have been issued to thousands of households in Custer and Pueblo counties. Evacuation centers are currently operating at Pueblo County Parks and Recreation, 1650 Cooper Place and the Colorado State Fairgrounds in Pueblo.
The Willow fire had burned almost 2,000 acres in Lake County as of 8 a.m. June 30, with evacuation orders in place for the area surrounding Turquoise Lake and pre-evacuation orders in place for some of Leadville. The fire is currently at 0% containment. Polis declared the Willow fire a state emergency on June 29, as well.
After multiple fires merged around the San Juan National Forest, the resulting blaze, the Ferris fire, ballooned to almost 20,000 acres by early Tuesday morning. The fire was at 0% containment by late Monday, but lower wind speeds did allow for some progress, according to local officials. Evacuation orders are in place for public lands and some large private ranches.
Other major fires burning in Colorado right now include the 11 fire near Cripple Creek and the McCloud Fire near Cortez, both of which are currently just over 100 acres, according to Watch Duty.
The entire Four Corners region is battling wildfires as we get closer to July 4, with dozens of active fires in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
Just Watch screenshot
