(The Cameron Peak Fire)
By Nia bender
LARIMER COUNTY – A shift in Monday’s weather helped firefighters working on The Cameron Peak Fire in Larimer County. High winds and hot temperatures last weekend gave the fire the chance to grow to 124, 026 acres and it caused a drop in containment from 25% to 21%. The Cameron Peak fire moved into an area along Highway 14 between the Fish Hatchery and Rustic and more evacuations were ordered as well.
An assessment of structures lost or damaged has now brought the number up to 91. 37-additional structures were destroyed since the last assessment on September 17th.
For now, the wildfire is the third-largest wildfire in the state’s history. The Pine Gulch Fire outside of Grand Junction is the largest wildfire in Colorado’s history. It continues to burn after a lightning strike sparked the 139,007-acre blaze. It was 100% contained on September 15th.
(The Pine Gulch Fire)
The Hayman Fire was the largest in the state for about 18-years before the Pine Gulch Fire this year. The Hayman fire started on June 8th, 2002 and it burned through 138,114 acres in Douglas, Jefferson, Park, and Teller Counties, destroying 133-homes.
(The Hayman Fire 2002)
Power crews were able to head back into some of the areas and start replacing power poles and lines in order to restore power to places no longer under a fire threat.
