Western U.S. Will Keep Burning Unless Fire Policy Changes [View all]

[marmar]

(Bloomberg) It is only mid-July, and Colorado has already had its most destructive wildfire in history -- some 350 houses in and near Colorado Springs burned, causing more than $110 million in damage.

This broke the previous state record, which was set earlier this summer in a fire farther up the Front Range of the Rockies. In May and June, New Mexico suffered its most devastating blaze ever -- worse than the one last year that threatened Los Alamos.

This is a scary trend.

In the 1960s, Colorado had about 460 fires a year that burned an average of 8,000 acres, according to a report compiled from state forest service records. In the past 10 years, the state averaged about 2,500 fires a year that consumed about 100,000 acres. .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-16/western-u-s-will-keep-burning-unless-fire-policy-changes.html