Colorado
Colorado wildfire blamed for one death as California blaze expands
By Liya Cui and Rich McKay
(Reuters) – A fast-moving wildfire killed at least one person in the Rocky Mountain foothills of Colorado, one of a handful of blazes burning across the state, while thousands of firefighters in California struggled to contain the largest fire in the country.
The individual killed in the Stone Canyon Fire, burning about 20 miles north of Boulder, Colorado, was found on Wednesday in one of five homes destroyed near Rocky Mountain National Park, officials said.
“We did also today discover human remains in one of the residences,” Boulder County Sheriff Curtis Johnson told the media. “So, I can confirm for you that we do have one fatality associated with the fire.”
Johnson did not provide details on the individual’s identity.
The Stone Canyon Fire, near Lyons, a community of about 2,000, has burned more than 1,500 acres since Tuesday afternoon. It was 20% contained as of late Wednesday, the Boulder Office of Disaster Management said in a statement. About 2,000 people were evacuated from Lyons and nearby communities.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis called in the Colorado National Guard to assist with the recovery. Since Tuesday afternoon, dry conditions and high temperatures enabled the fire to spread quickly through timberland.
The Stone Canyon Fire is one of multiple fires that have ripped Colorado’s Front Range mountains this week, prompting further evacuations.
The Alexander Mountain Fire is the largest, having burned over 7,000 acres since Monday. It was 1% contained since Wednesday night, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Across the country, more than 29,000 firefighters and support personnel are fighting 93 large wildfires, encompassing more than 2 million acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
In California, the Park Fire has burned more than 600 square miles (1,550 square kms) as of Thursday morning, an area bigger than the city of Los Angeles, state fire officials said.
It is the fifth largest fire in the state’s history and could soon become the fourth. Nearly 6,000 firefighters battled the blaze in a wilderness area in the state’s Central Valley, about 90 miles (145 km) north of Sacramento, the capital.
The fire has destroyed 437 houses and other structures and damaged 42 as of Thursday morning, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, reported.
The man charged with starting the fire, allegedly by pushing a flaming car down a Butte County gully last week, was formally charged with arson on Monday, but awaits additional charges, officials said.
Over the last few days the weather had been cooler, helping firefighters, Cal Fire spokesman Jeremy Hollingshead said. But temperatures are expected to climb today and could reach 104 F this weekend.
“We had an advantage for the last couple days with cooler temperatures. But now that changed,” Hollingshead said. “It means the fuels of grass and timber are getting dryer and hotter earlier in the day. The fire will burn hotter and quicker.”
He said access over rough, wilderness terrain with few roads makes it hard for firefighters and equipment to get at the fire lines, sometimes taking two to three hours to arrive at the scene.
(Reporting by Liya Cui in New York and Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by Frank McGurty and Leslie Adler)
A multi-mission aircraft captured infrared footage of the Quarry Fire as it burned in hills just west of the greater Denver area on July 31.
The Quarry Fire broke out near the Alexander Mountain Fire and the Stone Canyon Fire.
Officials said resources were thin due to this earlier fire activity.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said the fire had burned 341 acres Wednesday evening. Credit: Jefferson County Sheriff via Storyful
Video transcript
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Colorado
Colorado Springs Airtanker Base helps keep planes in the air and in the fight against wildfires | KRDO
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Helicopters and air tankers are a crucial tool in fighting Colorado’s wildfires.
Four wildfires are currently burning in northern Colorado and aircraft have been a huge part of the fight against the fires that have already burned thousands of acres and claimed one life.
The Colorado Springs Airtanker Base has been helping keep those planes and helicopters in the air. Wednesday, crews battled the heat and were mixing retardant and fueling planes all day.
The Colorado Springs base is the largest of the four around the state and has four fueling pits. The base can also accommodate the largest aircraft, known as V-Lats or Very Large Airtankers.
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An initiative that would ban the hunting and commercial trapping of mountain lions and other wild cats will be on the statewide ballot in November.
The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office said Wednesday that the measure backed by wildlife advocates had garnered more than enough signatures to qualify for the Nov. 5 election.
Backers turned in 187,147 signatures. Election officials determined there were more valid signatures of registered voters than the 124,238 required. The proposal, organized by a coalition called Cats Aren’t Trophies, would outlaw what it calls trophy hunting.
The coalition includes wildlife sanctuaries and rehabilitation centers. Its members want to prohibit the hunting and trapping of mountain lions, bobcats and lynx. Exceptions would include killing an animal to protect people and livestock, the accidental wounding of a cat, actions by authorized wildlife officers and scientific research activities.
“Colorado voters will have an opportunity to halt the inhumane and needless killing of mountain lions and bobcats for their heads and beautiful fur coats,” Samantha Miller, the Cats Aren’t Trophies campaign manager and a Grand County resident, wrote in an email.
The ban’s supporters say mountain lions aren’t killed for meat, unlike deer, elk and other wildlife.
“While the measure stops the recreational trophy hunting and commercial fur trapping of wild cats, it allows lethal removal of any problem animal for the safety of people, pets, or farm and ranch animals,” Miller added.
But opponents argue state wildlife biologists are better equipped to manage mountain lion populations.
“We are disappointed to learn that the required signature level was reached,” said Suzanne O’Neill the executive director of the Colorado Wildlife Federation, in an email. “This is another instance of ballot-box biology presented to the voters. It aims to take away Colorado Parks and Wildlife expertise and (the agency’s) extensive experience in applying science-based wildlife management as to mountain lions and bobcats.”
Opponents of the proposed hunting ban made similar arguments about returning wolves to Colorado. The state’s voters in 2020 narrowly passed an initiative mandating the release of wolves in Colorado to bring back the animal that was wiped out in the state due to hunting.
CPW started releasing wolves in northern and northwest Colorado in late 2023. Since then, the wolves have roamed and run afoul of ranchers whose livestock has been killed.
Last year, state wildlife officials estimated Colorado’s mountain lion population at 3,000 to 7,000. They said hunters kill hundreds of mountain lions and bobcats every year.
While the initiative’s ban would cover lynx, that cat — which was restored to Colorado after a long absence — is protected under both state and federal law. Miller said if the measure became law, it would continue to protect lynx regardless of its status under endangered species regulations.
Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.
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