Colorado: 300-acre wildfire burning near Rifle

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Ground crews, single-engine air tankers attack fire Wednesday afternoon

Smoke from a wildfire near Rifle filtered into Summit skies Wednesday afternoon.

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — Dried-out summer fuels and high winds are fueling a 300-acre wildfire near Rifle, Colorado. According to local fire officials, the fire is burning along Highway 13, near mile marker 15. (more…)

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Summit County crews assigned to regional fires

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Summit County crews are helping out on several wildfires in the region.

Dry lighting still triggering small fires on Colorado Western Slope

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Firefighters have been able to contain a number of lightning-caused wildfires on the Western Slope of Colorado, including the Wrigley Fire and the Long Mesa Fire, burning in the BLM’s Black Canyon Wilderness area.

Elsewhere on the Western Slope, crews are still responding to reports of smoke and smaller fires, scattered primarily over the west and central zones, as thunderstorms continue to spark small blazes in dry fuel.

Suppression work on the Long Mesa Fire advanced using ground crews and helicopter assistance for logistics and some “bucket drops” of water. Better visibility and more accurate mapping capabilities reduced the affected area for this fire to 150 acres. Three crews continue to work on the fire in rough, rugged and remote terrain. (more…)

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Colorado: Pine Ridge Fire fully contained

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

No new fires reported

A slurry drop at the Pine Ridge Fire. Photo courtesy Brian Borjon/InciWeb.

Firing operations help firefighters contain the Pine Ridge Fire along one of its boundaries. Photo courtesy InciWeb.org.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Despite facing windy conditions, firefighting crews were able to fully contain the Pine Ridge Fire that burned northeast of Grand Junction for eight days, at one point forcing the evacuation of an entire town as the flames raced toward De Beque.

Incident commander Bill Hahnenberg declared the fire contained at about 6 p.m. on July 4. The fire burned across 13,920 acres in dry brush and scattered stands of piñon pines. At times, the fire burned within sight of the Colorado River and required the intermittent closure of I-70. (more…)

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Will History Repeat Itself? The Great Fire of 1910

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

The Great Fire of 1910 burned across 3 million acres and killed more than 80 people.

*This story is published under an article exchange with Pie Consulting & Engineering.

By Jon Schear

SUMMIT COUNTY — Harry Houdini was quoted as saying, “Fire has always been and seemingly, will always remain, the most terrible of elements.”

With the approach of a hot, windy summer here in Colorado, these words have never sounded more true.

In a recent interview with America’s News Radio Network, Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue deputy chief Jeff Berino alluded to the “perfect storm” conditions arising in the western region of the United States. According to Berino, who also works for Pie Consulting & Engineering as a wildfire investigator, today’s conditions are  reminiscent of the 3 million acre Big Burn of August, 1910; conditions could be ripe for another blaze of equal or greater intensity, he said.

Listen to the interview here.

Many factors contribute to the “perfect storm,” perhaps best understood as stages:

Stage 1: The Setup
A few specific things contribute to potential wildfire starts and typically involve the weather. A dry and hot climate is a major influence and is usually spurred on by early snowmelt and drought conditions (a consistent issue here in Colorado).

Without moisture in the air and soil, vegetation can dry out and die, which creates fuel for a wildfire to start. Adding to this are bark beetles, which can grow to epidemic rates in dry and hot weather, adding even more fuel in the form of dead trees. (more…)

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Waldo Canyon Fire 55 percent contained

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

A smoke column from the Waldo Canyon Fire on June 26. Photo courtesy Adam Drake/InciWeb.org.

Some residents able to visit their neighborhoods to survey damage; Highway 24 re-opens

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Firefighters say they’ve been able to more than halfway contain the deadly Waldo Canyon Fire, a blaze that will go down in history as Colorado’s single most destructive wildfire.

The fire started June 23, three miles west of Colorado Springs. Three days later, it exploded eastward toward the city, killing two people, destroying 346 homes and requiring the evacuation of 32,000 people.

By Sunday afternoon, incident commander Rich Harvey said the 17,827-acre fire was 55 percent contained and announced the re-opening of Highway 24, a major transportation route into the central mountains. (more…)

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Pine Ridge Fire 35 percent contained

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Terrain, access and concern about resources challenge firefighters

Pine Ridge Fire burning near I-70 in De Beque Canyon. Photo courtesy De Beque Fire Protection District. Click the pic to see the entire Pine Ridge gallery at inciweb.org.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — The Pine Ridge Fire, in Mesa County, Colorado, has grown to more than 13,000 acres but is also more than a third contained, with continued concerns about potential threats to the town of De Beque and the I-70 corridor.

Fire behavior contineus to be extreme in some sectors, with torching, backing and more fire in fuel islands remaining on the fire’s interior.

Fire officials said key factors, including winds and fuel moisture, combined, indicate  there is a high potential for extreme fire behavior, intensity, and growth. With a shift in the wind, firefighters had to hold the line on the north, northeast and southeast flanks.

The Union Pacific Railroad is helping to deliver water to remote areas of the fire by rail and a team of resource advisors is working with fire managers because of concerns about  oil and gas well locations, cultural resources, threatened and endangered species, and the wild horse range.

Pine Ridge Fire

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Feds on high alert for July 4th wildfires

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Forest Service, BLM to step up enforcement of fireworks ban

A June, 2011 wildfire in Keystone Gulch burned within a few hundred feet of vacation homes and full-time residences at the Colorado resort. Photo by Bob Berwyn.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Federal land managers will step up enforcement of a personal fireworks ban in the West (covering Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming) and increase patrols and enforcement.

Orders from the top also say that land managers must coordinate across the West to reduce the rist of new fires and to prepare for an efficient response if they do start. And, as a no-brainer, the memo prohibits any prescribed burns while dangerous wildfire conditions prevail. (more…)

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Colorado: High Park Fire close to full containment

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Residents returning to neighborhoods in the fire area

High Park Fire map, June 29, 2012.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — The High Park Fire in Larimer County could be fully contained as soon as Sunday, July 1, as crews patrol the interior of the fire to extinguish a few remaining hotspots. They’ll get help from a Cobra helicopter equipped with video and infrared sensing equipment to focus the mop-up efforts.

The remote sensing data will be used tactically to guide firefighters to remaining heat pockets around structures and within unburned islands in the interior of the burn area.

But even when the fire is fully contained, residents may still see occasional smoke in the area for a while longer. Officials emphasized that increased containment Friday was due to suppression efforts and not weather behavior on Friday. (more…)

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Pine Ridge Fire stops at the Colorado River

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

West Slope blaze burns at least 12,000 acres

The Pine Ridge Fire ran fast until it encountered I-70 and the Colorado River, guarded by a line of firefighters.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY —The lightning-sparked Pine Ridge Fire raced all the way to I-70 and the Colorado River Friday as residents of the greenbelt along the river watched anxiously.

But helped by the weather, as well as air support from of a couple of Canadian air tankers, firefighters were able to knock the fire down a couple of notches, declaring it 10 percent contained by the end of the day.

According to the most recent official estimates, the fire had burned across a footprint of at least 12,000 acres as of Friday morning, though that acreage is likely to grow after an evening overflight to collect heat data with infrared sensors. A total of four air tankers provided support today. (more…)

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Colorado: 8-acre Eby Creek Fire 50 percent contained

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Multiple wildfires are burning across Colorado. Click to visit the Colorado Emergency Information website for information links to all the fires.

Water drops supporting ground crews

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — An immediate attack Thursday evening against the Eby Creek Fire, near Eagle, Colorado, yielded results, as fire crews have been able to limit the fire to eight acres.

Eagle County officials reported that the fire was 50 percent contained as of Friday morning, with a few small spot fires burning outside the immediate fire perimeter. (more…)

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