Fort Collins-area fire explodes, prompting Rocky Mountain National Park closures
The Cameron Peak fire northwest of Fort Collins blew up Saturday, prompting a new round of evacuations and reportedly making a run into Rocky Mountain National Park, which has closed the popular Trail Ridge Road.
The fire, which ignited Aug. 13 in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, grew to 34,289 acres, up from roughly 26,000 acres. The blaze sent a plume roughly 40,000 feet into the air during continued burning on Sunday, the National Weather Service in Boulder reported. More than 800 firefighters are assigned to the blaze. Containment is estimated at 5%.
The erratic growth comes amid a heat wave affecting huge swaths of Colorado, including the Pikes Peak region, where a hazardous weather outlook warned of a “critical” potential for new fires.
Wind was especially a problem in areas where the Cameron Peak fire was burning, with gusts of up to 40 mph.
Read more: https://gazette.com/news/fort-collins-area-fire-explodes-prompting-rocky-mountain-national-park-closures/article_df81bd22-f087-11ea-98a3-1b9c26764ebc.html
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I'm in Greeley, and I had to run out to the pharmacy this afternoon. The air was brown and a bit gritty; made me glad for the mask. It was right up next to 100 today, there's a storm coming Tuesday with temps 30-ish and a bit of snow; unfortunately, it's also bringing high winds. Lots of people coughing. With my COPD, I'm lucky to already have oxygen on hand, along with bi-pap and several breathing meds. I'm supposed to meet with a new pulmonologist on Tuesday, that's an increasingly busy specialty these days.
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