Colorado Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management; Wildfire Information. More wildfires? According to Nick Nauslar, a predictive services meteorologist with the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho, having a wildfire jump the divide has happened before but is an extremely rare occurrence. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. It has now surpassed another 2020 fire — the Pine Gulch Fire — for the largest in the state’s history. Noel Livingston, who leads the team of firefighters tackling this blaze as incident commander, said in a news briefing that he expects “another active fire day” Friday, with areas east of the Rockies socked in by clouds, cold air and easterly winds, preventing fire spread there until late in the day. Have a wildland fire news tip? To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Cameron Peak Fire, including the most recent, click here. Award granted to develop system to detect and forecast the spread of all wildland fires in U.S. Colorado’s East Troublesome Fire is poised to continue growing after it became the second-largest blaze in state history Thursday. Strong winds are in the forecast for the area through Wednesday. UPDATE at 12:10 p.m. MDT October 12, 2020. The latest evacuations in the path of the Cameron Peak Fire affected mainly recreational properties — including hundreds of mountain cabins — in and around the communities of Glen Haven and Drake east of Rocky Mountain National Park. Already battling the largest fire in state history, Colorado is now dealing with another blaze that grew by more than 100,000 acres in a day. This page is updated daily with the latest information on Colorado wildfires right now. A weather station near the 17,832-acre Middle Fork Fire north of Steamboat Springs recorded 0.07″ of precipitation Sunday. The largest wildfire in Colorado history was the 2002 Hayman Fire, which burned 137,760 acres. Colorado’s East Troublesome Fire is poised to continue growing after it became the second-largest blaze in state history Thursday. Google+ View all posts by Bill Gabbert, Mother nature solving the problem of urban sprawled to, Your email address will not be published. After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire. The fire made another big run east Wednesday and was listed at 158,300 acres as of 7:30 p.m. MDT Wednesday. The Cameron Peak Fire has damaged or destroyed 95 buildings, including 33 homes. Colorado's one-time largest fire, Pine Gulch, also occurred this year. The Cameron Peak Fire, which is northeast of the East Troublesome Fire, has burned more than 206,000 acres and was 55 percent contained Wednesday. The mountain bark beetle is such a pest. That blaze, which remains one of the most severe wildfires with respect to burning intensity, according to the U.S. Forest Service, blackened 137,760 acres and destroyed 600 structures near Colorado Springs. Meanwhile, areas to the west, including throughout Rocky Mountain National Park and the Grand Lake area, are in a different fire weather environment, with sunshine, relatively warm temperatures, low humidity and strong winds. "As we began today we were hovering right around that 19,000 acreage mark, so significant growth today," Winfield said Wednesday evening. The temperature in the higher elevations of the Mullen Fire will reach about 20 degrees or lower Sunday night. Senators call for creation of wildland firefighter job series and an increase in firefighters’ pay, Rocky Mountain National Park says there was minimal loss of structures as the wildfire burned into the park, Tough fire season takes toll on firefighters’ mental health, East Troublesome Fire grows to 170,000 acres, Pending legislation related to wildland fire, East Troublesome Fire spreads east across Highway 125. Containment was at 56%. Editor focusing on extreme weather, climate change, science and the environment. Triple-digit temperatures, strong winds forecast this week 'elevate fire risk' in California – again. The Pine Gulch Fire near Grand Junction reached 139,007 acres before it was fully contained in late September. The following agencies provide information about current wildfires in Colorado: Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Fire Bans & Restrictions in Colorado. The roads down the mountain must be creeping. Required fields are marked *. pic.twitter.com/DGtHqQZaBk. Denver7 News brings you breaking and developing wildfire news from the Denver metro area and across Colorado on KMGH-TV and TheDenverChannel.com. If you live in Fort Collins, you've probably noticed a thick haze and smoky smell in recent days. And, please keep in mind our commenting ground rules before you post a comment. The two blazes have the potential to merge, depending on conditions Friday and Saturday. It’s largely burning at an elevation of 9,000 feet at a time of year when snow should be falling. It's the only major fire in the state to be completely contained this year, which occurred Sept. 24. The satellite photo below shows snow in the mountains of north-central Colorado at 10:56 a.m. MDT October 12, 2020. Rain and snow hit portions of three fires in north-central Colorado Sunday slowing the spread of the Cameron Peak, Middle Fork, and Mullen Fires. The blaze … Your email address will not be published. It is 24% contained. The Cameron Peak Fire has grown more than 20,000 acres over the last day. It will be interesting to see how much the fuels dry out in the next three days with very strong winds, sun, and low humidities. As of Friday morning, the fire stood at 170,163 acres, and was only about 10 miles away from the largest blaze on record in the state, known as the Cameron Peak Fire. An unknown number of properties have been damaged or destroyed, and at least five people are missing. FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The Cameron Peak Fire is now the largest wildfire in Colorado history. The evacuation of Estes Park, home to about 7,000 and known as the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, was chaotic, with traffic backups that lasted hours as the sky glowed an eerie dark red, turning the bright afternoon into night. So far, the East Troublesome Fire has forced the evacuations of Granby, Grand Lake and, to the east of Rocky Mountain National Park, the community of Estes Park. Tomorrow’s update sheet will contain the same information, but the formatwill be different … This map is managed by the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and is updated with information on fires 100 acres or larger. A small amount of rain or snow is unlikely to completely put out these fires which are mostly burning in timber. Typos, let us know HERE. Triple-digit temperatures, strong winds forecast this week 'elevate fire risk' in California – again, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The forecast for Cowdrey, Colorado near the Mullen Fire calls for mostly sunny skies Monday through Wednesday, high temperatures around 60, relative humidity of 20 percent, and afternoon winds gusting at 30 to 50 mph out of the west and southwest. As temperatures have increased in Colorado, it has given once-scarce pests, formerly held in check by extremely cold winter temperatures, an opportunity to spread and damage or destroy trees. As the fire established itself on the east side of the divide, the national park was evacuated, along with Estes Park. It is dark as night and the roads are GRID LOCKED. Cameron Peak Fire grows to largest in Colorado's history. Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new articles by email. There is no cost, and in case you change your mind each email has an unsubscribe button. Click here. The Hayman Fire of 2002 had been the state's largest wildfire until the Pine Gulch Fire. Skip Navigation The East Troublesome Fire is continuing to devastate parts of northern Colorado, swallowing homes and businesses in its path. No fire on record in Colorado that has started this late in the season has become nearly as large, putting the blaze in uncharted territory and showing all the hallmarks of climate change. A comprehensive list of fire bans in counties and parks throughout the state. The 134,559-acre Cameron Peak Fire, which burned up to the Colorado State University Mountain Campus, received about one inch of snow in the higher elevations. The fire has burned 175,535 acres in the two states. The Mullen Fire which extends across the state line into Wyoming had received one-half to two inches of snow by mid-afternoon Sunday in the higher elevations. It started on Aug. 13 on the Arapaho and Roosevelt national forests near Cameron Pass and Chambers Lake. The cause is multiple wildfires burning in Colorado, including the Cameron Peak Fire that broke out Thursday in the upper Poudre Canyon about 62 miles west of Fort Collins. The harmful beetles are a phenomena linked to climate change that is occurring across vast stretches of the West and into Canada. Zogg Fire investigators seize PG&E equipment. The fire continued spreading into remote northern Rocky Mountain National Park and was bearing down on the Colorado State University Mountain Campus a few miles north of the park. FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The Cameron Peak Fire is now the largest wildfire in Colorado history. “We’re preparing to do whatever is necessary in those areas,” fire operations trainee Tim Daly said in a briefing about the efforts to protect the campus and communities. The blaze roared through stands of timber at the alarming rate of about 140,000 acres in 24 hours from Wednesday to Thursday afternoon. Firefighters and national park rangers expressed astonishment Thursday afternoon when the blaze sent embers across the continental divide, much of which is treeless because of the high altitude, and ignited a spot fire on the other side that grew as it spread up Mount Wuh within the national park. The fire made another big run east Wednesday and … Follow Kevin Lytle on Twitter @Kevin_Lytle. The fire is raging during a severe drought, aggravated by record heat, through stands of trees killed or weakened by a years of a bark beetle infestation. Already battling the largest fire in state history, Colorado is now dealing with another blaze that grew by more than 100,000 acres in a day. The dystopian scene was one that’s become common recently as record large fires have hit Australia, California and now Colorado.