Colorado crews scrambled Monday to gain ground against two blazes – including the largest in state history – as this year’s historic wildfire season imparted more heartbreak and hardships on the West.
The Cameron Peak Fire, which has torched more than 203,000 acres through the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests near Cameron Pass and Chambers Lake in Larimer County, was 62% contained as of Monday morning. Gusty winds and dry conditions have fueled the growth of the fire, which ignited in August, according to the the U.S. Forest Service said.
Cloudy conditions and poor visibility kept fire aircraft grounded, but the weather also aided in making progress on a few hot spots, fire officials said. Â
The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office assembled 10 assessment teams to tally the damage of the fire’s most recent pushes, Sheriff Justin Smith wrote in a Facebook post Monday morning.
Another blaze, the Calwood Fire raging in the north-central part of the state, forced nearly 3,000 people to flee – including residents of tiny Jamestown at the foothills of the Rockies – over the weekend. The fire, which ignited Saturday near the Cal-Wood Education Center about 17 miles from downtown Boulder, has singed more than 8,700 acres and is 15% contained. Â
At least 26 homes have been lost to the blaze, which is being driven by ferocious winds, said Mike Wagner, division chief with the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office. The National Center for Atmospheric Research’s Mesa lab recorded gusts of 59 mph on Saturday.
‘It just exploded’:Â Cameron Peak, CalWood fires drive thousands from their homes in Colorado
Mary Ann Beard told the Daily Camera she has been forced to evacuate her Mountain Ridge home five times. When she got a call Saturday, she assumed the order was for the Cameron Peak Fire, not realizing the Cal-Wood blaze was burning less than 15 miles away.Â
“I’ve learned to just have a duffle bag open in the closet to just throw clothes into it,†she told the newspaper. “And that’s what happened.â€
Beard said 17 homes dotted her subdivision, “and now there’s only one standing. There’s just foundations and smoke coming from everywhere. I don’t think it’s all hit me yet.† Â
Courtney Walsh told the Denver Post she had about a 30-minute warning to gather her children, animals and belongings before sheriff’s deputies urged her to leave her house near Boulder on Saturday afternoon.
“We were just waiting and waiting, and you know there is Twitter and live feeds,†she said. “Then we saw a picture from the National Weather Service, and it focused on our house burning. So then we knew.”
The Colorado wildfires were among more than 60 major fires burning in 11 Western states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
What we know:Â Cameron Peak Fire crews ‘make good progress’ during cloudy day Sunday
In hard-hit California, more than a dozen wildfires have raged in recent months. But there was some good news: The White House and the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved the state’s request for disaster relief funds to clean up damage from six blazes.
In Utah, two new fires were much smaller but also forced evacuations. The Range Fire had burned 3,000 acres and was not at all contained; the Fire Canyon Fire was estimated at 1,460 acres but only 10% contained.
And in Wyoming, the Mullen Fire had burned 176,386 acres in the Medicine Bow National Forest west of Laramie. The blaze, which sparked Sept. 17, was 55% contained.
Contributing: John Bacon, USA TODAY; Sarah Kyle, Fort Collins Coloradoan; The Associated PressÂ
