What makes Evergreen’s fire evacuation routes so perilous?
About a 45-minute drive west from downtown Denver, nestled in the shadow of Mount Evans, Evergreen flourishes as sits Evergreen, Colorado, one of the gems of the Rocky Mountains. But the town’s topography presents a lurking danger. The thick forests and steep valley walls are what wildfire experts call fuel and topography. The final piece of the Wildland Fire Behavior “triangle” is weather, and with hotter summers, long-term drought and sometimes fierce winds, Evergreen is one of the highest-risk areas of the state for wildfires.

