2 wildfires slowed amid snowstorm
Snow fell on Colorado’s two biggest wildfires Sunday in a much- needed storm that is expected to dampen the fires and slow their ferocious spread for at least a few days.
The northern parts of the Cameron Peak fire received 12 inches of snow by Sunday afternoon, and the southeast portion of the fire received between 7 and 12 inches, operations section chief Paul Delmerico said. Estes Park, threatened by the East Troublesome fire, received 4 to 6 inches, and the snow was still coming down across the region Sunday.
“We do not anticipate any fire growth or any fire activity today or tomorrow with this storm,” Delmerico said in an early afternoon
update. “It may be quite a few days before we see any fire activity whatsoever. And that’s great news for our firefighters on the ground.”
About 3 to 4 inches of snow had fallen in the area of the East Troublesome fire by Sunday afternoon, and forecasters expected to see another 4 to 8 inches on top of that in the area Sunday night, said Zach Hiris, meteorologist at the National Weather Service at Boulder. Temperatures will stay cold Monday, but rise into the 30s by Tuesday.
Fire officials expect the snow to significantly decrease fire activity “in the short term,” but said extended precipitation will be needed to fully extinguish the fire. Fire activity could increase again this week as temperatures rise and the areas start to dry out again.
On Sunday, the Cameron Peak fire had burned 208,663 acres and was about 64% contained. It is burning in the Roosevelt National Forest west of Fort Collins and is the largest recorded wildfire in state history.
Firefighters saw windy conditions Saturday, with increased fire behavior west of Pingree Park, near the Comanche Reservoir, the North Folk Trail and west of Glen Haven. Firefighters focused on structure protection, and on strengthening containment lines.
The East Troublesome fire, which is burning southwest of the Cameron Peak fire just north of Granby and into Rocky Mountain National Park, had burned 192,560 acres and was 10% contained Sunday.
Wind there Saturday drove the fire east, forcing new evacuations for Estes Park. Firefighters took a defensive approach Saturday because of the dangerous conditions, focusing on structure protection and strengthening indirect containment lines near Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.
Firefighters have been able to hold the fire west of Bear Lake Road. The fire had not been expected to spread Sunday because of the snow.
“I just want to remind everyone we’re not out of the fire potential,” Grand County Sheriff Brett Schroetlin said during a Sunday briefing. “2020 has been a unique fire season … we never expected 100,000 acres of growth in one night, so we need to plan for the unprecedented.”
He said crews have been assessing damage to subdivisions and homes around Grand Lake and would start to notify residents Sunday afternoon and Monday morning about whether their homes survived the fire or were destroyed.
He declined to release a number of damaged structures, saying the count he has is preliminary, but said “a lot” of homes were destroyed.
Pre- evacuation and evacuation orders were lifted for the towns of Granby and Hot Sulfur Springs on Sunday, and Schroetlin said he hopes to lift evacuation orders for Grand Lake on Monday.