E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSUpdated at 7 p.m. ET: CONIFER, Colo. -- The bodies of a husband and wife were found at one of 23 homes destroyed or damaged by a wildfire that has forced hundreds to flee the mountainous area southwest of Denver, authorities said Tuesday. A third person was missing from the same area where the man and woman were found.
The body of a woman, later identified as Linda Lucas, 76, was found outside the burned home on Monday evening and a man's body, identified as Sam Lucas, 77, was found inside on Tuesday, said Daniel Hatlestad of the Jefferson County Incident Management Team.
Authorities do not yet know whether the deaths were caused by the fire, which has grown to about 7 square miles and was "not contained in the slightest."
The fast-moving wildfire was reported at midday Monday and spread quickly amid dry, windy weather.
The fire was burning several miles and mountain ridges west of Denver's tightly populated southwestern suburbs, which were not under threat.
The area of pines and grassland is mountainous and sparsely populated, dotted with hamlets and the occasional expensive home. It is about 25 miles southwest of Denver at an altitude that ranges from 7,000 to 8,200 feet.
About 900 homes have been evacuated and the residents of another 6,500 houses were warned Tuesday to be ready to evacuate because of a spot fire that was sparked outside the main fire.
Jefferson County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Jacki Kelley had said earlier that the wildfire may have been a controlled burn from last week that sprang back to life because of strong wind gusts.
Ryan Lockwood, a spokesman for the Colorado State Forest Service, said his agency conducted the controlled burn on Thursday on land belonging to the Denver Water Board as part of an ongoing attempt to reduce fire danger. Such burns are common in the West to thin out vegetation in the hopes of preventing fires.
"This has been going on for the past year," Lockwood said.
Wind gusts that reached near 90 mph fanned the flames on Monday, preventing air crews from spraying retardant and keeping firefighters mostly on the defensive. With winds lighter Tuesday, firefighters were attacking the fire on the ground and dropping slurry from an air tanker.
By midday Tuesday, officials were urging patience in a meeting with about 60 frustrated evacuees gathered at Conifer High School. The evacuated residents groaned when Hatlestad of the Jefferson County Incident Management Team announced that the fire was 0 percent contained and expected to spread to the northeast with the afternoon winds.
Hatlestad repeatedly told residents asking about their home streets, "I can't tell you where the fire will go." Hatlestad had no estimate when they could get home or when homeowners would find out whether their homes have been spared.
Crews from Arizona, Utah and South Dakota have been called in for support, with the blaze churning through rugged terrain rich with dry brush. Roughly 450 firefighters are expected on the scene.
Air support arrived Tuesday and planes were able to make slurry drops on the blaze, NBC station KUSA reported. Air support consisted of a SEAT and a heavy P2V airplane dropping fire retardant over the fire. Two National Guard helicopters are enroute from Buckley Air Force Base to start dropping water also, KUSA said.
There were no other reports of injuries, but a sheriff's deputy who was alerting residents to leave was trapped in his patrol car after he inadvertently drove into a ditch in the thick smoke, Kelley said. He summoned help by radio.
One evacuee left behind a Corvette and a small airplane to escape the flames. Cindi Sjaardema said it was the first time in 34 years that she has had to flee the area.
"We decided, 'Let's move now,' thinking we'd make two trips. But when we left, we passed a checkpoint and they said we couldn't go back," she said. "My husband argued with the guy, (and) said, 'I left a Corvette back there, I'm going back.' But I said, 'No way. It's insured. It's just stuff.' We got out, and thank God."
Single-digit humidity values, winds blowing at 40 to 50 miles per hour and a lack of snowfall during the past month put most of eastern Colorado under a red-flag warning for high fire danger, the National Weather Service said.
The high winds also had prompted flight delays at Denver International Airport on Monday. Smoke from the wildfire poured into Denver on Tuesday.
NBC News, KUSA, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:
Leave a Comment:
Interesting how the story does not tell you that this was a controlled burn that got out of control!!! who ever gave the go ahead on this one should be charged with manslaughter!! Who schedules a controlled burn, with high wind (that was forecasted) and single digit humidity readings because we have had no snow and no moisture...duh~!!!! Idiot!!
You must have heard something I didn't... Authorities said they believed the fire started from the embers of a prior controlled burn conducted by the Forest Service LAST WEEK!
An incompetent Government worker? That couldn't be right. We all know how the Government always knows what is best for it's citizens. If they didn't set control burns, these workers may have to look out the window all day and wonder about bigger things like how they are going to spend my tax money.
Professor of stupidity? Controlled burns are an important part of fire control and also help keep forests healthy. I guarantee that the U.S. Forest employees are more competent than you are.
A forestry degree from where? Hahahaha Botany and some arthropod class? Whatever "Alejandro". Duhhhhhhhhhh. You are useless. Watching drying timber all day and then you want to set fire to it. Wasn't it your plan to stop forest fires and let the fuels build up in the first place? Idiots. Do nothing all day but sit around in convenience stores and burn expensive diesel. Controlled burns of the fuels you let build up by failed policies making the situation even worse. I burn every year and my land is clean and green and healthy. I just hate paying your salary. idiot. Bite me you Troglodytic Taxsucking Tinkerbell.
What kind of degree did Terry Lynn Barton have? Had so much time on her hands that she burned down an entire county with love letters. Yeah, you're right, you guys are just too intelligent for me.
Professor1010... I couldn't agree with you more! Government hacks! A bunch of power hungry lazy idiots sucking taxpayer money. Most of them are dumber than rocks.
Must be a slow day for the Forest Service workers today. It seems they didnt read their handbook on proper use of Government equipment. Your tax money at work.
Yes, in our news here in AZ this morning, it was stated this was due to a "controlled burn" (whatever that means!).
It's not exactly fair to assume that the entire Forest Service sits around and does nothing all day, every day. I think it would do you some good to educate yourself on what the job encompasses. It is a very demanding and tiring service; just because there are bad apples in the bunch (as in every other line of work in the world) it does NOT mean that incompetence runs rampant.
...any wagers on whether the Prof would be the first to whine about increasing his tax dollars to help (not insure) ameliorate the loss due to fire? Ignorant whiners are pathetic and yet comical. And FYI...most of the Forest Service folk I know do have undergrad degrees, many from CSU in Forestry Management(?), with a few having graduate degrees. They are overwhelmingly underpaid and overworked people who have the typical ignorant and arrogant idiots like the Prof (who know jack about the multifaceted long-term affects/effects of anthropogenic or natural fire) .
Catgoddess - Reasonable question...a controlled burn is a burn done by the Forest Service or other controlling entity with the intent to burn away the flashier fuels while having a strong contingent of suppression forces available in case it gets out of control. It's risky and they do get out of control sometimes, but it's a gamble that's needed since natural fire has been largely suppressed. It's a complicated balance that BLM and the Forest Service et al try to bring into focus.
Cerro grande fire 2000. Lets set a nuclear waste dump on fire, that sounds like an excellent idea. Then they have to pay us to put it out. But relax, the taxpayer won't mind, they have plenty of money to burn. If I didnt see these guys sitting on their asses so much I might respect them a little. Priivate sector would keep them busy turning those trees into mulch or charcoal.
Whiners? You lazy worthless federal workers are just that. CSU? Hah! A sheep and 5 bucks will get you into Colorado State. I manage my own land Captain. No fires and wont be? Why? Because I work it that's why. The taxpayer is not your personal bank account, though many of you think that.
What's a flashier fuel? Does that mean combustable or flammable. The stuff they teach at CSU these days......flashy fuel.......I like it. See trading Tebow is already costing you. Peyton Manning is no baby Jesus.
Professor... and how are you an expert on the Forestry Management Degree or the Forest Management, Forest Fire Science, and Forest Biology concentrations offered at CSU? Just wondering.
I'm not. But have experience in the field. Anyway, looks like this thread kind of died out and I'll leave you with this: The Captain said flasher fuel. That's exactly what Mr. T said. I pity the flashy fuel.
Wow Prof...please share your experience. So far it's been nothing but inflammatory ramblings. Let me guess, you saw fire once? Maybe you worked on a crew once? So far your "experience" appears to be limited to making juvenile postings.
By the way, if you had any experience you would know what a flashier fuel is, e.g. 1 hour fuels (grasses and small brush), relative to the larger diameter fuels, >=10 hour fuels.
A controlled burn even if it was last week does not show good judgement on the part of the Forest Service's part considering that areas history of past fires, not just the Hayman Fire, length of time since there was any precipitation, snow pack, high winds and red flag warnings, etc.
Professor!!!! The Tebow comment hurt. He may be gone from Denver but I will always love him. Even if he can't throw a football. He's a good guy and will be missed from the community. Peyton's a good guy, too.
well maybe they should call in contract firefighters oh wait the obama adm. says no contractors looks like another year of preventable damage being done. if they would of brought in contracted firefighters last year there would of been less damage done in the south western states. we need him out. my man is starving for work doing his job. the reason why he does not work in the u.s forestry fighting fires is because they are all for the most part idiots. im sure there is a few good ones working for them but he said what he seen of them was not good.
Hey professor1010, why are you hangng replying your driveling nonsense to a news story if you know so much about the forest? Why not go help instead of sitting pointning fingers through a fake name? Government is needed to make up for the whiners like yourself who like to do nothing but sit around and....whine.
Just saying to quit playing Broke Back Mountain with our tax dollars.
Someone better start observing the forest areas for potential fire starters. Someone is starting those fires. Get some cameras out in the field. The forest rangers aren't doing there job. Wake up Colorado.
joe,
The black helicopters were all busy doing other things. Need some more tin foil?
No, you're right COmommy. It was a prescribed burn from last week. As I recall, it certainly wasn't windy last week as it was yesterday. I do agree though that they probably shouldn't be doing these prescribed burns with our weather being as it is. Even when everything is done right, things can start up again a week later. Remember just a couple of years ago when the lifelong fireman did exactly what he was supposed to do (dousing the fire over and over)? It reignited how long after the fact? And how many homes were destroyed? In my opinion, no fire (even prescribed) is safe here. You just never know...
In spring in Colorado the wind coming down off the mountains is like a match striking against the earth which is dry as flint. We are all holding our breath here, longing for rain.
The fire was started last week which is why I wouldn't call anyone completely incompetent. I wonder what the procedures are for checking on older controlled burns when high winds are forecasted. If there wasn't one before, I'm sure they'll be one now.
But let's all remember, controlled burns normally prevent these type of things from happening. Statistically, prescribed burns do not get out of control. That's like saying every plane that goes into the air will crash. Prescribed burns are an essential part of Colorado forestry. It's extremely tragic that this one got out of hand. But I wouldn't call for a halt of controlled burns.
My understanding is the site was checked several times. When it was being checked yesterday they found a small fire just outside the burn area. Due to the winds and extreme dryness here it went from a few acres to over 100 in less then an hour.
Look Henry a pretty tree let s build our dream house..Never could understand why its allowed to fill up the side of a mountain with a hundred homes then fence them all in with chicken wire so the Elk cant eat their shrubs. If there's a fire on the mountain side the homes are insignificant unless the wind is blowing right.
Yes COmommy, You are correct. "Authorities said they believed the fire started from the embers of a prior controlled burn conducted by the Forest Service LAST WEEK!", but hey I live here in CO too not many miles from the fire and the smoke alone is awful not even talking about the fire that is spreading and destroying land and homes and is violently out of control. Guess what COmommy? The huge fire that we had a few years ago was from some dumba_s that had burned a fire and his embers started a huge Boulder Canyon fire a week later. There are a some smart people in CO who go by the rule in our dry seasons of DON'T BURN ANYTHING AT ALL. This is a sure way to keep them embers from starting these senseless forest fires a week after the burn.
My DW was visiting a friend in Littleton CO yesterday, and got home safely last night. This morning I get a picture in my email of the afternoon sun, filtered through a thick haze of smoke.
I'll let others take care of the seemingly obligatory snarky comments, and just send my wishes for everyone's health and safety.
This fire must really be burning I live 300 miles north of Denver and can smell the smoke. My heart goes out to the familys that have lost loved ones in this trajedy.
Colorado has the trashiest woods I've seen anywhere. Slash and downed limbs is everywhere providing kindling for fires. Alls that is needed is a spark from a poorly estinguished burn, vehicle exhaust, a careless smoker, lightening and with the winds on the front range to provide a pump--well wildfires are an annual event.
The news here isn't the wildfire. The news here is the amount of damage of that wildfire. Get it together Colorado---clean up your forests.
Rap
The only way to clean up the forest is to let it burn.
If homeowners would create firebreaks between their buildings and the forests the consequence of wildfires would be reduced. Firebreaks can also be enhanced by cutting and removing brush along roads. And then do what is done in many places in the east, manage your forests and alear slash so groundfires don't become crownfires.
Bob, do you live here in CO or have you just visited specific areas for very short periods of time? CO does not have "trashy" forests, my friend. There is a lot of fire mitigation done by local and federal authorities every single year here in CO. In addition, if you don't know whether these people have fire breaks around their homes, you shouldn't speak about it. We have a family cabin in the area of the fire that's been there for over 60 years. Believe me, the people who live in the area of this fire HAVE fire breaks and work to keep their property as free of fire kindling as possible.
Trying to compare methods of forest management in the eastern parts of the US to the western part of the US (and the Rockies specifically) is comparing apples to oranges. Not only is the terrain completely different and much of it unreachable for fire mitigation, the flora in the Rockies is not even remotely close to that of the eastern US and the forests there (last I checked, pine beetle kill isn't a problem anywhere but here and west of here) and the weather is much drier and hotter here. Please, educate yourself before you go trashing people and places you obviously know absolutely nothing about.
mmr_bzn - well said.
i'm not sure how anyone can call Colorado forests "trashy". I mean it's nature right? If there is dry timber, I'm assuming mother nature put it there. The dry air and high altitude here is not going to produce lush green forests seen in other parts of the country. Our climate doesn't allow for it.
I've been to many parts of the country and I think all the forests look different no matter where I go. Oregon, Alabama, Hawaii, Florida, the North East, etc. They all look different. Alabama looked the scariest to me but hey..that's how nature made it.
I have never been to a house in the foothills or the mountains of Colorado that didn't have a firebreak. It's possible that our firebreaks may look different than eastern firebreaks because our fires have different paths, fuels, wind, and weather conditions than eastern fires. It really is comparing apples to oranges. You might know everything about eastern forests, but there is no way Bob can compare those same characteristics to a high altitude, dry climate, Rocky Mountain wind environment.
You've got to be kidding, Bob. Are you aware of the mountain pine beetle problems we have here in CO? That problem, along with years of drought, low humidity and high temps cause trees to be wiped out. We've had some major windstorms here in the last few months, and a lot of downed trees and slash are littered througout the forests. The Forest Service and mountain homeowners spend an immeasurable amount of time clearing out dead trees. We have campgrounds here that have been closed down due to the danger of beetle-killed trees falling. The Forest Service has their hands full. Every mountain home is required to have fire mitigation. Homeowners insurance requires it. New construction has to be inspected and signed off by the fire department. Nobody is sitting on their asses. I do agree that last week was not a good time for a prescribed burn- this should not have happened. However, don't berate those who live and work here. Would you like to come and clean up our forests? We have quite a lot of them, and the Forest Service job website has many, many openings.
Let's do something like with the highway clean up program. Get your employer to adopt a forest and we can all go out this weekend and pick up. A clean forest is a happy forest.
Easy does it, buddy. Colorado does not have trashy forests. We have a pine beetle problem that has killed a lot of pine trees which makes it a tinder box when fires happen. Unfortunately this is why there are control burns to help alleviate the problem should a fire start. This is hard to understand since the burn WAS last week. Evidently there are/were hotspots which flared with the incredible wind storm we had yesterday. I feel better knowing that it was not started by a flung cigarette butt.
Colorado still has beautiful trees. You do not like our forests? Then go somewhere else. Your loss.
They have tall grass and weeds, shrubs and dead trees. Mother Nature does an uncontrolled burn every once in awhile. The forest Service hopes to make controlled burns so we don't have giant uncontrolled rolling fires. fires used to be huge. Because there was so much dry shrubs and grasses. Native Americans on the plains used to start a fire, which would get the bison running, then they would shoot the ones they wanted. and they really didn't care if the fire burned on and on for miles. Which really helped the tall grass prairie.
Ahem, I grew up in Colorado. I know its called "The Rocky Mountains" for a reason. Dry weeds and rocks. from a Distance they are beautiful, up close, not so much. If I don't like the forests ? I go somewhere else. I now live in the green grass and deciduous trees of Iowa. And I love it.
you are a knucklehead, you don't just go out and clean up miilions of acres of forest. You gonna send out a crew with a couple of shop vacs and a some trash bags? Fire cleans the forest.
Upscale community up in smoke ? ...awe to bad.
What difference does it make if it's an upscale community or a trailor park? It's still people's homes that are being destroyed! I grew up in Littleton, I still know tons of people there and upscale or not I think everyone living in the area should be in people's thoughts and prayers, somehow I dont think the amount of money in their bank accounts changes the level of tragedy involved
It does in this society and don't forget it. Our culture is totally stratified socio-economically from the schools we go to, the neighborhoods we live in, and the people we associate and work with. Lower class neighborhoods are always sacrificied way before the exclusive upscale hoods in any natural or man made disaster. The economic spectrum/divide in this country is getting so bad that the democratic principles that the country are founded on are under assault by the wealthy not get more money, but more power and control over everyone else, because when they have plenty of money, they then thirst for power to quench their inherent greed.
Mack...are you just baiting a fight? Go to a political post and bait there. Everyone else...hit the exclamation mark in the lower right corner of the post and select "Ignore This Author" to turn the fools off.
I agree Allie. Urban home fires are much more common. The only reason upscale homes fires are in the national news is because it's usually the result of a forest fire. Yes, they are nice homes, but they are still homes. Peoples entire lives and memories lost in a box in the basement or off the fireplace mantle. Just because someone is well off doesn't negate the tragedy of losing all of your irreplaceable possessions and sense of security.
Don't pay any attention to unknown. He doesn't even know the difference between to and too.
What makes you think these homes are upscale? Some are, but many are no more expensive or lavish than your typical suburban neighborhood. Many of them are primary residences, not vacation homes. Not everyone wants to live hemmed in by their neighbors and their neighbors' barking dogs, harleys, weekend parties, etc.
triple post
triple post
unknown1 or idiot1 No where in the article did it say "Upscale community up in smoke". These are some pathetic comments from some pathetic individuals. Bob, if you think CO has the trashiest woods you have ever seen, as you stated, then maybe you should be a park ranger with those kind of skills. Sounds more like some of your 7 deadly sins were rearing their ugly heads again by your comment. You know like jealousy and envy for starters. I made my comment because as a resident of this beautiful state when we have these terrible fires we send more than well wishes "old gaffer". We send supplies, money, food, blankets, etc. and when you have fires over and over again for the same stupid reasons then it is time to start doing something different. That something different is to STOP STARTING FIRES.
Cool Joe I lived and worked in the woods for almost 40 years--granted they're eastern deciduous forests, but there the ground slash there is nowhere as bad as the forests in Colorado.
As for western forests, IMHO New Mexico maintains their forests far better than Colorado.
Joe,
Fire happens. It always has and it always will. It's a fools wish (not calling you a fool :) to think that we can live in the forest and not have fire come along and bite us. The only way to ameliorate the effects due to fire in these environs is to have proper set-backs, proper construction and proper access for emergency forces when the fire happens anyway.
Not to mention that the only reason this is national news is because it's out of the ordinary. It's not like CO has out of control, home destroying fires all the time.
That certainly explains the Raton and Los Alamos fires last year.
It sure would be nice to see the Colorado Front Range restored to the way it was pre-1970's. It's gone down hill in the last 20 years that's for sure. Too many people in too big houses. "Look at me" mansions have no place here. These idiots transplant here with no consideration for our environment at all. Anyhow, these forests need to burn, badly, and fires will inevitably take these monstrosities out with them. I feel bad for the wildlife and live stock though. What a shame. The beetle kill is horrendous.
45 year Colorado native from Evergreen. 900 sq foot cabin hidden from view.
OK unibomber Dave... Lead by example and move...
Dave, kinda funny. I live back there. We are currently evacuated. 95% of the people that live back there are people that have owned that land for 20+ years and or have lived in Denver for 20+ years. Many have had homes there for 25 or 30 years. I have to agree with Jimcolorado......you spout off that everyone else should leave, but you are part of the problem.
Comprehension seems to be too much for Jim and Tom. I wrote pre-1970's. The land I live on was originally purchased by my grandparents in the 30's. And 95%? I doubt that very much.
The sad fact here is, a fire, once started, can get into roots. These can burn underground in the form of embers, not giving any indication that they are present. Then, even 2 weeks later, they rear their ugly heads in the then form of a raging fire. Undetectable, unless they use a heat seeking device to find if there are any of these roots doing this.
Colorado: where the Elite live in the mountains and bitch because they can't get any help because they wont allow the peasants to live anywhere near them and poor people can't afford to commute. Mc'D had to put up a dorm to house them. Ever hear of a "Water Lawyer". Big Ranch Corporations in Colorado have grabbed up all the water rights and created constrictive laws that force you to put a water meter on a well and pay for the use, prohibit you from catching rain water for your private use. Disgusting people IMHO
You can't collect rain water? Now that is insane. The western slope is not that bad yet. They have federal rain police too?
New Mexico has law against catching Sun light because it puts a shadow on adjacent people..(during certain hours of the day). Of course you can purchase a License from the government to allow you to do so for a fee. people ARE insane out WEST.
Come on out to Wyoming and repeat that last statement personally, if you have the stones.
Can I watch?
When I was younger, I moved from Colorado to upstate NY. UPon buying some property, I insisted they put in the contract that I was able to get all mineral and water rights. THey thought I was crazy. But I wanted every bit of water rights on my property. They had never done that before.
I only feel bad for the wildlife !!! Again here we go screwing up our little planet
Yes because fires in nature never happen...
It's pretty bad. My husband and I were outside his work and it was like a huge cloud just coming at us. We live about 30 minutes from the fire and there was ash falling everywhere. We were only outside for a few minutes and had to take showers because the smell of smoke was so bad on us that our throats were sore. Driving home was bizarre, it was like all of Denver was covered in a fog. The sun was blazing hot red through the smoke, definitely a sight I will never forget. Be safe Colorado!
And for the record, Conifer is NOT an upscale community ;) Maybe people are thinking of Dove Valley which is close by?
Maybe not upscale but still a little piece of heaven if given the chance to live up there (I did for over 8 years). Even though I no longer live off 285 I still worry about those who do. You guys are in my prayers. Upsetting. And the winds are starting to kick up. Again. Not good.
Hey, heres an idea. Why don't we borry money from the Chinese, build a great big house in a tinderbox of pine needles and then borrow more money from the Chinese to hire a forest service worker to watch my house I just built in a tenderbox. Then we will give the guy a truck so he can drive around and wait. Then when the forest service worker burns my house down by accident, I can call Uncle Sam and he will borrow more money from the Chinese and pay me for my loss caused of course by no negligence on my own part.
Condolences and prayers go to the victims' family and friends.
Living in the Wildland-Urban interface (WUI) is a gamble, and sometimes we lose. The government can (and should) only do so much. Conifer is in Jefferson County which has had many discussions regarding where to draw the line on fire safety. This line is overwhelmingly placed by the citizens not the administration and is based on cost not safety. One jurisdiction in Jeffco actually lost its entire fire department because the homeowners voted the "Fire Code" out (I'm paraphrasing) because they didn't want the onerous "Fire Code" telling them what to do. The homeowner as a general rule is unwilling to pay the cost of clearing a reasonable distance or having reasonable access by the fire service...I get it. But every time a homeowner says no to more fire safety then the likelihood of a conflagration burning their home down increases. I've been a part of countless of these meetings, professionally. It's not the fire department or local governments role to ensure 100% safety for its citizens. Safety in the environs we choose to put ourselves in, by building homes in this interface, falls squarely in our own laps whether we like it or not. If you want to be safer you can either vote for the government to take better care of you (not my suggestion) or you can live wiser in the WUI.
It ain't the Forest Service's fault...or even China's...it's ours, because fire just happens.
Now this is a real cause of CO2 escaping into the atmosphere - much more so than all the coal burning electric plants. Minimizing such fires should be a concern for environmentalists.
It would be easier to put these wilderness area out if there were more roads in the national forests. The roads would act as fire breaks as well as a way for firefighters to get to the fire. Environmentalists won't allow the roads to be built in the areas around these residential areas. This particular case might not be the best example but so many forest fires do burn more than necessary because of this environmentalist policy.
Nice idea but it won't work. Pike National Forest is over a million acres and the terrain is too rough. Fires up there have been know to jump highways let alone forest service roads.
Fires have burned for billions of years. big fires, rolling across the plains fires, nobody around to stop them. Unless the Forest service comes in and does a controlled burn, the fires are big and fast. If the forest service does many controlled burns in an area, there is no crap to burn. Healthy trees don't usually catch on fire, unless the fire goes up into the trees. these weeds and grasses have survived these burns for billions of years. After the fire is gone, next spring the plants growing up in these areas grow like crazy. Aspen trees start to grow. Its just a way to recycle in nature. Man is the only one that has to stop these fires, because they don't want their houses to burn.
Water the dry area and at the same time drop water to the fire. If the firemen cannot go into the areas, then flying in, drop the water from the sky.
Condolences and prayers go to the victims' family and friends.
Some people that build houses in Colorado have more money than brains. It's only fitting that Mother Nature Bit*h slap them. People got the grandiose Norman Rockwell image of themselves nestled in a cozy cottage in the alpines in front of a roaring fireplace sipping imported wine and watching the fluffy snowflakes drift down on the window ... eyes glazed over and thinking of how the offshore investments have really soared and soon be on a world curze with friends. Pesky fires always mess up dreams...
Or.....like those of us that live there and actually understand the issue, we protect our homes properly from the fire by creating a defensible space. Notice how there are two homes side by side and one is burnt to the ground and one is untouched. Guess what.....one guy was smarter than the other. Don't make blanket statements, that is just being an pain about something you do not understand.
Some people that build houses in Colorado have more money than brains. It's only fitting that Mother Nature Bit*h slap them. People got the grandiose Norman Rockwell image of themselves nestled in a cozy cottage in the alpines in front of a roaring fireplace sipping imported wine and watching the fluffy snowflakes drift down on the window ... eyes glazed over and thinking of how the offshore investments have really soared and soon be on a world curze with friends. Pesky fires always mess up dreams...
Some people that build houses in Colorado have more money than brains. It's only fitting that Mother Nature Bit*h slap them. People got the grandiose Norman Rockwell image of themselves nestled in a cozy cottage in the alpines in front of a roaring fireplace sipping imported wine and watching the fluffy snowflakes drift down on the window ... eyes glazed over and thinking of how the offshore investments have really soared and soon be on a world curze with friends. Pesky fires always mess up dreams...
Well, COmommy, it's clear it wasn't YOUR home that got burned. We could do away with 20-40% government workers and wouldn't notice because they don't do anything. The private sector has laid off millions. It's time for government to do the same, only in greater numbers since its staffing was so "plush" to start with! Thank you, Forest Service, for destroying what you purport to protect. Hope the government has to pay for all damages!
Shouldn't there be plenty of snow on the ground at that elevation this time of year?
its been almost 80 degrees for a week
CO didn't get its usual amount of snowfall and the forests are tinder dry. Expect more of the same if they are not blessed with lots of rain this spring. It is terrible.