Firefighters Battle 30,000-Acre Blaze in Colorado

By Juan Fernandez

Colorado firefighters are combating a 30,000-acre inferno. 

The Hot Sulphur Springs/Parshall Fire Protection District, based in Hot Sulphur Springs, Colorado, shot video of the fire on Oct. 21 as a firefighting airplane dropped a fire retardant chemical to quell flames.

The blaze is believed to have started close to Grimes Peak in the Arapaho National Forest on Oct. 14. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The town of Grand Lake had to evacuate at short notice Wednesday night, and part of Rocky Mountain National Park is now closed.

Authorities are battling what’s called the East Troublesome Fire, which grew to an estimated 30,400-acre inferno by Wednesday evening, according to wildfiretoday.com.

The wildfire is burning an estimated 6,000 acres per hour.  

The blaze’s rapid growth is due to unseasonably high temperatures and strong winds, with reports of gusts of up to 25 mph. They are expected to decrease by this evening, but regain some strength by Friday, Oct. 23.

Some 295 personnel are presently fighting the fire “with additional support continually arriving,” authorities reported. All areas to the west of Highway 34 have been evacuated “due to growth and close proximity” to the fire, according to an alert message by the Grand County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday.

Citizens in the area have been asked to remain on alert as evacuation orders are being ordered.

Prior to 2000, Colorado rarely witnessed wildfires of more than 10,000 acres. Even badly sourced lists record no more than 10 fires of that size before 2000, per The Colorado Sun, which found 60 fires that crossed the 10,000-acre metric since 2000. Investigators have determined that two of this year’s big fires were started by people.

(Edited by Fern Siegel and Carlin Becker)