wildfires
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Penrose residents criticize communication on 24 fire as crews reach some containment
PENROSE — Macy May has anxiously slept half awake at night in her rural Penrose home as she awaited a pre-evacuation warning to possibly be upgraded to an evacuation order for the 24 fire that began on Wednesday. She and her four children, ages 7 to 15, live with their three dogs and 40 birds,…
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Highway 115 fire blows up, road closed south of Colorado Springs
A fast-moving fire burning along Colorado 115 south of Colorado Springs blew the containment line Thursday, spreading farther east onto Fort Carson and scorching nearly 700 acres, officials said. The blaze, known as the 24 fire, was fully uncontained as of late Thursday afternoon, officials said, despite having been 50% contained earlier in the day. Smoke…
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Colorado lawmakers roll out bipartisan plan aimed at lowering home insurance risk
Rising homeowners’ insurance rates prompted a group of lawmakers to introduce a bill Wednesday aimed at reducing damage from hail and wildfire. The measure would encourage homeowners and homeowner associations to take additional mitigation steps and, in turn, could allow insurers to offer lower insurance rates once those steps are completed. Senate Bill 49 is…
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Colorado academy trains next generation of wildland firefighters
Wildfire activity is on the upswing in Colorado and across the U.S., and state firefighting and incident management agencies are stepping up their efforts to keep up with the changes. “In the past, firefighters gained skills gradually over many seasons,” said Schelly Olson, spokeswoman for the Colorado Wildland Fire and Incident Management Academy. “They no…
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Businesses face losses after Xcel power shutoffs
Restaurants west of Denver are still coming to grips with product losses and future revenue concerns after power shutoffs last week by Xcel Energy, which cited high winds as the rationale for the decision. “It’s like living in a third-world country,” Brandon Bortles, owner of Nosu Ramen and Abejas Bistro in Golden, said Tuesday. “We’re…
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Pine beetle infestation in Colorado’s Front Range forests prompts action from Gov. Polis
Pine beetle infestations are quickly spreading across large areas of Colorado’s ponderosa pine forests, evident from aerial surveys conducted by the U.S. Forest Service over the last year. The USFS surveys found beetle infestations in mountainous and foothill regions from Larimer County to El Paso County have been on the rise over the last year,…
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Gov. Jared Polis forms task force to combat pine beetle outbreak threatening Colorado forests
Gov. Jared Polis has issued an executive order establishing a task force to help protect Colorado forests and communities from the impact of pine beetle outbreaks, he announced on Monday. According to the governor’s office, the task force will also develop strategies to protect the state’s water resources, support the outdoor recreation industry, and enhance…
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Colorado delegation seeks federal aid for wildfire-ravaged Rio Blanco County
Colorado’s 10 U.S. senators and representatives sent a letter to President Donald Trump on Monday, asking him to declare a disaster following pair of wildfires that burned in the northwestern part of the state last month. Under the Stafford Act of 1988, a state’s governor can request a presidential major disaster declaration if the state doesn’t have…
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Lee fire grows to 5th largest in Colorado history
Lee, Elk and Oak fires all continue to burn Monday