wildfire
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Colorado insurance recoveries up 93% due to wildfire claims
The state helped Coloradans recover nearly $20 million in additional insurance payments last year, mostly from catastrophic wildfire claims. A report released Tuesday found that the Colorado Division of Insurance recovered more than $19.6 million from investigating consumer complaints during the 2021-22 fiscal year – an increase of 93% from the previous year. The report…
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Consider pets in evacuation plans, animal rights group urges lawmakers
A fire evacuation plan should include pets. That’s the message policymakers reviewing potential wildfire legislation heard on Wednesday from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Saving pets became a major issue during the Marshall fire, which struck on New Year’s Eve last year and tore through more than 1,000 homes and businesses.…
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Colorado receives $5.1 million federal investment to address wildfires
A federal department invested over $5.1 million in Colorado to help the state fight and prevent devastating wildfires. In Colorado, record-breaking wildfires have become more and more common in recent years. At the end of December, Colorado suffered its most destructive wildfire in state history, when the Marshall fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes in…
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Requirement for insurance to cover more property value, other wildfire laws take effect in Colorado
Four new laws that seek to help prevent and respond to wildfires went into effect on Wednesday after being passed by the Colorado legislature earlier this year. One of the laws, House Bill 1111, increases the amount of property lost to wildfires that insurance providers have to cover upfront from 30% of the value to 65%. The…
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Colorado’s Joe Neguse leads policy package to address wildfires, droughts nationwide
Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse is leading a package of 49 bills designed to help address wildfires and droughts throughout the country. Neguse, D-Lafayette, on Thursday unveiled the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act, which combines dozens of previously introduced legislation, including bills to increase firefighter pay to at least $20 per hour, fund $500 million…
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Colorado Springs wildfire safety advocates to take their case to the state
Colorado Springs wildfire advocates are taking their case for evacuation modeling to state lawmakers Wednesday, after the City Council decided not to go forward with any of their recommendations. Advocates with Westside Watch will emphasize the importance of cities and communities knowing how long it can take residents to evacuate an area and making that…
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‘Non-survivable’ evacuation routes exist in Colorado’s most wildfire-prone areas
About a 45-minute drive west from downtown Denver, nestled in the shadow of Mount Evans, Evergreen flourishes as one of the gems of the Rocky Mountains. Its dense pine forests give way to craggy ridges that look down on creek beds winding through the dozens of Evergreen’s mountain neighborhoods, all centered on an alpine lake…
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Polis extends disaster declarations for avian flu, wildfire
Gov. Jared Polis issued two executive orders Sunday to assist the state in responding to the avian flu and the aftermath of a wildfire in southern Colorado. The first executive order extended the declaration of the avian flu as a state of disaster emergency. The avian flu, also known as the bird flu or the…
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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…
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Polis signs bills to support wildfire victims, allocate millions to prevent future fires
Gov. Jared Polis signed three bills into law Thursday to assist victims of wildfires and try to prevent fires from happening in the first place. Polis signed the measures months after Colorado suffered the Marshall fire, the most destructive wildfire in state history. Record-breaking wildfires have become more and more common in the state, with…