Colorado’s deadly and destructive wildfire season continues with as many as a dozen blazes burning in recent days. Smoke from the fires has blanketed parts of the state in recent weeks and new NASA satellite imagery shows the smoke plumes from some of the blazes. Read the rest of this story and view the images on Examiner.com.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper today issued an executive order banning all open burning and the use of personal fireworks across the state. As the High Park Fire shows, conditions are tinder dry and while lightning was the cause of that blaze, man is often to blame for wildfires as well.
“We can’t completely eliminate the threat of wildfire because there’s no way to control Mother Nature,” Hickenlooper said in a statement. “But we can take steps to reduce the risks of more wildfires starting. This ban is a necessary step to help protect people, property and the beautiful state we live in.”
The ban will put a damper on 4th of July fireworks festivities but is a necessary step to protect life and property. For campers, there will be limitations in unimproved locations but fires in permanent pits within developed campgrounds will still be allowed as long as the local authority allows it.
You can read Gov. Hickenloopers statement here and the full text of the executive order here.
The High Park Fire now ranks as the third largest blaze in Colorado history. In 96 short hours the blaze grew to encompass an area more than 72 square miles and is now only 10% contained and still growing.
Related fire links:
Wildfires are a fact of life in the west burning hundreds of thousands of acres each year causing millions of dollars of damage and oftentimes claiming lives. With nearly half of the state’s land area comprising forest, Colorado…
In only 48 hours a wildfire burning west of Fort Collins, Colorado has virtually exploded to encompass an area of more than 57 square miles. The High Park Fire is burning out of control with no containment as thousands of…
Now at 14,000 acres, the High Park Fire continues to grow unabated. Winds had shifted overnight sending the smoke over the metro area and Thornton but this afternoon they moved to the east. Satellite imagery, shown in the video below, clearly shows the smoke plume stretching through Colorado into Wyoming and Nebraska and starting to impact South Dakota.
Be sure to check out our Wildland Fire Activity and News page for the latest.
