Colorado: 1 death reported in High Park Fire

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Fire creeps into the foothills; lightning tabbed as cause of blaze

High Park Fire, Larimer County, Colorado.

High Park Fire, Larimer County, Colorado.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — The Larimer County Sheriffs Office confirmed that one person has died in the 37,000-acre High Park Fire.

Firefighters tried to reach long-time resident Linda Steadman in the early stages of the conflagration, but were unable to get near enough her cabin to save her, according Sheriff Justin Smith.

Officials also significantly upped the estimate of destroyed and damaged homes and other structures from 18 to more than 100. The fire has started to creep down into the Front Range foothills just west of Fort Collins, but the sheriffs office emphasized that no evacuation notices or alerts have been issued for that area.

The start of the fire has been traced to a lightning strike, presumably during thunderstorms that hit the area last Thursday and possibly igniting a stump or log that smoldered for a couple of days before sparking the biggest Colorado wildfire in recent memory.

More than 400 firefighters on the ground got massive air support in their efforts to contain the blaze, as five large air tankers doused forests and grasslands with flame retardant. Helicopters also assisted with pinpoint bucket drops, and fire activity subsided slightly Monday morning.

As of 4 p.m. fire crews were focusing with the northeast area of the fire, near Bonner Peak and the Glacier View area.

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Drought, forest fires | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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