Colorado wildfires
 

It's terrible what's happening in Colorado! Which fire is responsible for the people being told to stay indoors in Denver due to the smoke? How is the air quality in Estes Park? Are extreme fire restrictions in place there, also? And, is the fire in the Pike National Forest affecting visibility in Colorado Springs? Really really hope the weather helps out soon - heard on the news that this is the worst fire season in Colorado ever recorded.

It doesn't look good for the Rocky Mountain Park and Estes Park. Pike's Peak is south of the big fire, but I bet it will be bad everywhere. <BR><BR>http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/fire/rmacc.html<BR><BR>The bad in in Denver is from the fire.<BR><BR>http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/krdenver/20020610/lo/hayman_fire_smoke_chokes_denver_skies_1.html<BR><B R>Utahtea<BR><BR><BR>

Marcy the situation is dire. The Hayden fire sent thick smoke and ash to our house some 50 miles away! Estes I would think is ok but not sure. <BR><BR>From todays paper:<BR>"A choking river of smoke from the Hayman fire swallowed the Denver metro area Sunday, dropping fine ash and sending people to the hospital with breathing difficulties.<BR><BR>The entire metro region, from Elizabeth to Longmont, smelled like it was on fire. Satellite imagery showed that a concentrated plume of smoke from the 7,000-acre fire northeast of Lake George extended deep into Wyoming, Nebraska and South Dakota."<BR><BR>Extreme fire restrictions in place. Many parts of National Froest and BLM land are off limits to ANY activity.<BR><BR>Those planning on visiting should check with authoritys before coming. <BR><BR>PLEASE no smoking! Pray for Rain.

ttt

We have hazy, smoky skies in western Nebraska this morning from the Colorado fires. Our daughter has asthma and is coughing a bit--can't imagine how bad it must be close to the fires. Our thoughts are with our neighbors to the west.

Have you had any moisture? Is there any hope that the extreme rains over Montana and Alberta may be heading your way?

We're pretty nervous in Durango. We had a wildfire threaten one of our neighborhoods about 4 days ago, when a person using an electric saw had a hot speck of metal fly off the saw and blow up into a huge fire in seconds.<BR><BR>Another bad fire started yesterday just north of town. The authorities are saying it was probably started by some one throwing a cigarette butt or ash out of a car window. (I don't know how they could determine this!) As of early this AM, it was up to 7000 acres with flames 150-200 feet high. We saw in the newspaper that some friends of ours were picnicking and had to be evacuated by helicopter. <BR><BR>There is smoke/haze in town; like in much of the rest of the state, everyone here is crossing their fingers and praying for rain. It's nice to know that there are people thinking of us in other places!<BR>

The fires are still bad - the last I heard, both the Hayden and West Colorado Springs fires were 0% contained. No, we're not expected to get any rain, but they're hoping for cooler temperatures and more humdity today.<BR><BR>As Pike's Peak is south of the Hayden fire, and the winds generally travel NE, Pike's Peak will probably continue to be clear. Estes Park is probably not too bad either, as it's pretty much due north from that fire.<BR><BR>This is our worst fire season, and it's only June - it will only get worse. We were in the mountains this weekend, and the water speed/level of the Blue river was so low that my kids could play in it - that usually doesn't happen until late August.

We live about forty miles from Denver, and we stood outside yesterday in awe as the thickest, widest cloud of smoke I've ever seen slowly covered the sun and sky. It was orange-tinged and smelled horrible. Governor Owens likened it to a nuclear winter, and that's really what it seemed like.<BR><BR>The scary part was that we had planned to go hiking in the very area that the fire is now in! It was a small 300 acre fire on Sunday morning, but the high winds ballooned it into a 30,000 acre fire. <BR><BR>Very windy again today and the now whitish smoke which is covering the sky makes it seem overcast, but according to the weather service there are no clouds....it's all smoke. <BR><BR>And all because some moron felt compelled to build an illegal campfire in the Pike National Forest.<BR>

Fire up to 78,000 acres - evacuations of southwest Denver possible due to smoke.

Seems like ever since the horrific Yellowstone Fire of more than a decade ago...these forest fires have become a terrible fact of life.<BR><BR>Why? Is it climate change or political change..or something else that has set the stage for these terrible, terrifying, often life-taking blazes to take place?<BR><BR>I have family in CO; it's been a 'second home' to me for more than 30 years - my thoughts and good wishes are with all of you suffering this terrible experience.