Record Colorado wildfire looking for relief from Mother Nature
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E-mail Xinhua, June 20, 2012
Colorado firefighters are monitoring weather conditions closely as they contain a blaze being called the second worst forest fire in state history, already claiming a record 189 homes and engulfing close to 60,000 acres in a heavily forested area 85 miles (about 137 km) northwest of Denver near the city of Fort Collins.
The High Park fire, starting 11 days ago from lightening, has drawn 1,767 firefighters and 29 aircraft from across the country to Colorado to battle. The blaze has caused thousands of evacuations, but is now officially 50 percent contained. There has been one casualty, a 62-year-old woman.
As of Tuesday, winds had slowed and Forest Service meteorologists were looking at Mother Nature to provide relief in the form of monsoon moisture coming from the south by the end of the week.
"It's right on track...the monsoon season looks to be right on schedule," said Steve Segin, public information officer for the U.S. Forest Service, noting that forest fires across the state have been common due to the driest March in state history. On Monday, 24 forest fires were reported across the state, according to Segin.
Last weekend Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper released a picture of a Ponderosa Pine blasted apart by lightening that officials say caused the blaze on June 9, as dry conditions and 50-mile-per-hour (80-km-per-hour)winds caused the fire to spread and drew dire predictions from the U.S media.
But with winds receding, the High Park fire, costing an estimated 14.7 million dollars to contain so far, has been slowed on its south and east flanks where homes are located. Fire crews are now concentrating on the fire's western front, which is moving into unpopulated National Forest lands.
That's good news for homeowners but bad news for firefighters, as the blaze may spread into areas containing massive stands of dead pine trees, the result of Pine Beetle infestation that has claimed millions of acres of trees in America's West in the past five years.
Two other current blazes in the southern part of Colorado also have Forestry Service officials concerned: the Little Sand (13,180 acres) and Springer (1,100 acres) fires in the San Juan and San Isabel National Forests. The Springer fire, near the town of Pagosa Springs, started Sunday and is only 10 percent contained.
Due to the statewide fires, three Wildfire Smoke Health Advisories have been placed into effect this week for portions of the state, as excessive smoke has created huge areas of poor visibility and dense smoke settling in "low lying areas causing particulate levels to climb to unhealthy for sensitive groups," according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The worst forest fire of this season is still burning in Colorado's neighboring state to the south, New Mexico, claiming 296,726 acres so far. The Whitewater Baldy fire is one month old and 82 percent contained, but has caused significant forest devastation.
Once the monsoon season hits Colorado this week, Segin says to watch out in the states of Wyoming, South Dakota and Montana to the north, which will be "new forest fire hotspots."
The National Weather Services, citing extremely high temperatures and dry conditions, is rating fire risk in six Western states this week as "critical."
The Hayman fire, 10 years ago in southern Colorado, is considered the worst forest fire in Colorado history, burning 137,760 acres and costing an estimated 238 million dollars to contain.
America's Independence Day festivities held on July 4, traditionally a time for citizens to use fireworks, will be somewhat curtailed this year in Colorado as Governor Hickenlooper Monday signed an Executive Order last week banning open burning and private use of fireworks throughout the state because of very dry conditions and high fire danger.
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