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Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack lauds cooperation, pledges post-fire assistance and continued focus on forest restoration
High Park Fire map updated June 16 by Larimer County. Click on the image to download the large pdf version.
By Bob Berwyn
SUMMIT COUNTY — Along with Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, top federal officials toured the High Park Fire zone Saturday, then emphasized the high level of cooperation between local volunteer fire departments, the Colorado Forest Service and the U.S. Forest Service in working to contain the 55,000-acre wildfire, now one of the largest on record in Colorado.
Though more than 100 homes have been reported destroyed, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said at an afternoon press conference that cooperation helped save thousands of other structures that were potentially in harm’s way.
Hickenlooper displayed photo of a tree he said was the source of the High Park Fire, struck by lightning a few days before the blaze grew out of control. He emphasized that the High Park Fire only burned across about 0.2 percent of public lands in the state, seeking to reassure visitors that the state’s forests are still open for recreation. (more…)
Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Drought, forest fires | Tagged: Colorado wildfires, High Park Fire, High Park fire map, High Park fire map june 16, John Hickenlooper, Tom Vilsack, United States Forest Service | 1 Comment »
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