Cameron Peak Fire Now Third Largest Fire in State History

[WyoDoug]

This along with the Mullen Fire in Wyoming are ones definitely to watch for Colorado and Wyoming hunters.

Update Video:

News Article:

Colorado wildfire grows to third-largest in state history, Denver choked with smoke

A wildfire that's been burning since the middle of August has grown to become the third-largest in Colorado's recorded history as Denver faces choking smoke on Sunday, according to officials.

www.foxnews.com

 

[ibehuntin]

My experience in Colorado this sept left me with the impression that many of those forests need to burn. The bio burden is too great and chocked with beetle killed trees and deadfall.

 

[WyoDoug]

My experience in Colorado this sept left me with the impression that many of those forests need to burn. The bio burden is too great and chocked with beetle killed trees and deadfall.

I would like to see a bunch of controlled burns go on with the beetle kill areas and downfalls myself when it is safer to do so. I think investing money into controlled burns is certainly a whole lot less spendy than fighting record size fires that are way bigger than people predicted just a month ago.

 

[Gellar]

My experience in Colorado this sept left me with the impression that many of those forests need to burn. The bio burden is too great and chocked with beetle killed trees and deadfall.

Where we hunted this year they have a fire in close proximity and had been building fire breaks around critical infrastructure. Hopefully, since those breaks are built now they can use them in the future. It will suck in the short term since it’s an otc area for archery, but it needs to be burnt.

 

[geetar]

Any locals know if major roads are affected? I have to drive through that general area next week. Particularly Highway 70 all the way across Colorado.

 

[Dsnow9]

Any locals know if major roads are affected? I have to drive through that general area next week. Particularly Highway 70 all the way across Colorado.

I70 is still fully open. Intermittent closures through glenwood canyon during and after moisture events. And then there is the weekender traffic over the pass.

 

[338 win mag]

Any locals know if major roads are affected? I have to drive through that general area next week. Particularly Highway 70 all the way across Colorado.

You can just ride with us when are you leaving?

 

[geetar]

You can just ride with us when are you leaving?

Tomorrow midday. Thanks for the offer. I’m guessing y’all are headed to Wyoming. We’ve got general elk tags. Headed to Northeast Utah.

 

[geetar]

I70 is still fully open. Intermittent closures through glenwood canyon during and after moisture events. And then there is the weekender traffic over the pass.

Thanks for the info

 

[WyoDoug]

This one has grown and crossed the border with more closures on both sides of the border between Colorado and Wyoming. As of yesterday, the fire burned 106,747 Acres.

Story Map Series

This story map was created with the Story Map Series application in ArcGIS Online.

nifc.maps.arcgis.com

Another fire burns west of the Cameron Peak Fire which now is getting good containment finally, least the story map appears to indicate that.

Middle Fork Fire is burrnign south of Craig area a ways at 8,037 with no containment yet. This one is not expected to grow to the size of the other two. Right now it is mostly smoldering pockets.

 

[cedahm]

Middle Fork Fire is burrnign south of Craig area a ways at 8,037 with no containment yet. This one is not expected to grow to the size of the other two. Right now it is mostly smoldering pockets.

Thanks for sharing that file/website.

The eastern perimeter of Middle Fork (currently the closest to structures) hasn't moved much. It's tame in comparison to the other two mentioned, but is also burning only 10 miles from a sizable town and Billions of dollars of infrastructure and homes (although the odds it crosses Buff pass and gets to the ski area are minimal).

If it continues on it's trajectory NNW into the Wilderness, it's a good one to 'let burn', like the Big Red fire just north of there 3 years ago. Of course, Big Red also got 2' of snow dumped on it on October 1 and that 'ain't happening' this week.

 

[Zach]

I would like to see a bunch of controlled burns go on with the beetle kill areas and downfalls myself when it is safer to do so. I think investing money into controlled burns is certainly a whole lot less spendy than fighting record size fires that are way bigger than people predicted just a month ago.

I was up in Red Feather Lakes area a lot last year, USFS was doing lots of cut & pile waiting for winter to burn. It was pretty easy terrain, so I can see that method doing well up there. Some areas that doesn't seem as feesible.

CA used to do "controlled burns" then they started getting out of control then then started calling them "prescribed" burns.

 

[buffybr]

My experience in Colorado this sept left me with the impression that many of those forests need to burn. The bio burden is too great and chocked with beetle killed trees and deadfall.

Up until the late '70s and into the '80s, the US Forest Service use to actually manage the forests with timber sales that brought money to local economies, provided lumber products, built access roads, and kept the forests healthy. Then the environmentalists and left wing courts shut the logging industry down, and actual forest management has ceased to exist, leaving mother nature to do it with fires.

 

[mdeerjunkie]

It looks like it just blew up again. sorry for junkie self phone pic.

 

[Dsnow9]

The winds and thermals changed last night and this was westminster CO around dinner time last night.