Colorado Fire After a season of hellish wildfires throughout the West, there is new evidence that climate change and rampant growth are creating perfect breeding grounds for fire.
FRASER, Colo. — Rocky Mountain National Park was burning. Once-tranquil mountain valleys and ranches were choked with smoke and flames. Thousands of cars jammed onto two-lane rural roads as new evacuation orders popped up by the minute.
Scenes of panic and destruction played out across Northern Colorado on Thursday as a late-season wildfire exploded through the parched woods and valleys around the national park, offering a grim example of how climate change is making fire seasons longer and more destructive across the West.
“This is the worst of the worst of the worst,” said Sheriff Brett Schroetlin of Grand County, where the East Troublesome Fire had burned about 170,000 acres by Thursday evening.
The fire destroyed what Sheriff Schroetlin characterized as “lots” of structures as it chewed through swaths of ranches, second homes, businesses and cabins, but officials did not have any estimates on how many buildings and homes were damaged. There were no reports of deaths or injuries.
Cars clog highways as families flee East Troublesome Fire in Colorado
The East Troublesome Fire is continuing to devastate parts of northern Colorado, swallowing homes and businesses in its path.
Colorado Fire
Long lines of cars made their way out of the area as the fire continued to grow Thursday. And traffic out of the small town of Estes Park was crawling as hundreds tried to evacuate, according to CNN affiliate KUSA.
As the cars clogged the highways with people trying to flee the fire in Larimer County, Colorado, a thick layer of smoke could be seen hanging over the area blocking out the sun. One resident who was told her home had been destroyed didn’t know how to react.
Dry weather conditions
The weather conditions are not helping either.
Strong winds and dry weather are fueling an explosive growth of fires in Colorado. And the weather conditions are likely to stay the same for the next couple of days.
التعليقات