Fort Collins, Colo., is one of the greatest big-little cities you’ll ever meet. I lived there for six years and miss its plentiful bike lanes, green spaces, and walk-able downtown area every day. But today, it’s unrecognizable.
Just a few miles outside the city limits, a massive wildfire has been burning for days. It went from just a few acres to tens of thousands in a matter of hours, creating a cloud of smoke and ash that stretches into adjacent towns. The normally blue sky glows a sinister orange-red, and thousands of residents have already been evacuated from their homes in the High Park and Horsetooth Resevoir area.
“We have no hope for containment today,” said Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith during a media briefing about the fire. “Mother Nature is driving this fire. All we can do is get people out of the way.” Officials say that driving winds, dry conditions, and temperatures rising above 90 degrees have only stoked the flames, making like extremely difficult for those fighting to contain it.
According to a Longmont newspaper, the fire is burning in thick timber and large stands of beetle-killed trees, which are basically dry, dead matchsticks just waiting to ignite. Smith said this fire has been burning through multiple areas of Roosevelt National Forest that authorities have been concerned about for the past two decades.
Studies have shown that thanks to climate change, bark beetles are able to produce more than one generation of tree-killing offspring in a single season, increasing their impact up to 60-fold. Warming temperatures also make it easier for the beetles to survive the winter and attack trees that haven’t previously developed defenses.
The fire, which has already claimed almost 40,000 acres and at least 100 structures at the time of this posting, has kept at least 250 firefighters busy around the clock. As of this morning, federal fighters will take over.
“This is the fire a lot of folks in Larimer County have always been worried about,” Gov. John Hickenlooper said after touring the scene of the fire, The Denver Post reports. “We are throwing everything at it we can.” Gov. Hickenlooper signed an executive order requesting National Guard support for fire relief efforts.
Now, the Colorado National Guard has two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters ready at the Loveland Airport in Fort Collins for water-bucket drops, said Capt. Darin Overstreet, a Guard spokesman.
More photos can be seen here. The cause of the fire is still unknown. If you want to know how you can help, visit this link to either donate or sign up to volunteer during the recovery phase: www.helpcoloradonow.org.
Top photo credit: Kayla Balyak/Facebook
Bottom photo credit: Inciweb.org