Berichtgeving over Bosbranden Colorado
Colorado fires kill 3, force mass evacuations
More than 1,100 flee three wind-whipped blazes; tanker pilot dies in crash
Kimberly and Brad Dawson look on as a wildfire rages near Fort Carson, Colo., on Tuesday. It was one of three fires across the state being driven by 50-mph winds.
ORDWAY, Colo. - At least two people died when a wind-driven wildfire swept across the plains and forced 1,110 residents to evacuate a southeastern Colorado town Tuesday. An air tanker pilot was killed when his plane went down while battling another blaze. The Ordway blaze killed two people, damaged at least 20 buildings and scorched nearly 10 square miles of grasslands, officials said. Two air tankers were dispatched to fight the fire and two state highways were closed to the town, 122 miles southeast of Denver. Much of the state was under a National Weather Service red flag warning Tuesday, signifying high fire danger.
On the southeastern plains around Ordway, winds were gusting to 50 mph, humidity was low and temperatures reached into the 80s. Dry conditions on the plains and in some mountain valleys contrasted with deep snow at higher elevations.
"We have our fingers crossed that these winds will die down," said Polly White, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Division of Emergency Management, adding that a storm expected to bring rain and snow Wednesday appeared to be moving into the area. "I can see the snow clouds coming over the mountains as we speak."
A wildfire near Carbondale, in the mountains about 120 miles west of Denver, blackened about 1,000 acres, damaged two homes and injured one resident. The nature of the injury wasn't known. "It's moved very, very, very quickly," said Tanny McGinnis of the Garfield County Sheriff's Department. "It started on private property and it's been fueled by 50-mph winds all day long." Officials evacuated a school and a subdivision and set up shelters to house displaced students and residents. McGinnis tried to reassure worried parents. "We are keeping your children safe," he said. The blaze prompted the closure of a five-mile stretch of Colorado 82 because of heavy smoke, but were hoping to reopen the road in the evening. One injury was reported, and that person was taken to a hospital. The victim's condition was not immediately known, according to McGinnis.
Pilot killed fighting blaze
Authorities had said they were preparing to evacuate a subdivision with an unknown number of homes. Red Cross spokeswoman B.J. Coyle said the agency had been told to prepare for up to 1,000 evacuees from the Carbondale fire. A third wildfire on Fort Carson land between Colorado Springs and Penrose grew to 1,000 acres Tuesday afternoon. Flames were leaping 200 feet into the air, and heavy smoke was visible from around Colorado Springs. The pilot of a single-engine air tanker working the Fort Carson blaze was killed when his plane crashed while coming in for a landing or dropping flame retardant, officials at the Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center said. The cause of the crash was unknown and the NTSB would be brought in to investigate, officials said. The Army said the wildfire had forced some evacuations, but the number of people affected wasn't known.
Bron: MSNBC
Thick, black smoke rolls across a road near Ordway, Colo., during a grass fire whipped by high winds into a massive blaze that destroyed homes and fields in and around the small southeastern Colorado town on Tuesday, April 15, 2008.
Bron: CBS NEWS | Gewijzigd: 24 april 2017, 10:37 uur, door Joyce.s
More than 1,100 flee three wind-whipped blazes; tanker pilot dies in crash
Kimberly and Brad Dawson look on as a wildfire rages near Fort Carson, Colo., on Tuesday. It was one of three fires across the state being driven by 50-mph winds.
ORDWAY, Colo. - At least two people died when a wind-driven wildfire swept across the plains and forced 1,110 residents to evacuate a southeastern Colorado town Tuesday. An air tanker pilot was killed when his plane went down while battling another blaze. The Ordway blaze killed two people, damaged at least 20 buildings and scorched nearly 10 square miles of grasslands, officials said. Two air tankers were dispatched to fight the fire and two state highways were closed to the town, 122 miles southeast of Denver. Much of the state was under a National Weather Service red flag warning Tuesday, signifying high fire danger.
On the southeastern plains around Ordway, winds were gusting to 50 mph, humidity was low and temperatures reached into the 80s. Dry conditions on the plains and in some mountain valleys contrasted with deep snow at higher elevations.
"We have our fingers crossed that these winds will die down," said Polly White, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Division of Emergency Management, adding that a storm expected to bring rain and snow Wednesday appeared to be moving into the area. "I can see the snow clouds coming over the mountains as we speak."
A wildfire near Carbondale, in the mountains about 120 miles west of Denver, blackened about 1,000 acres, damaged two homes and injured one resident. The nature of the injury wasn't known. "It's moved very, very, very quickly," said Tanny McGinnis of the Garfield County Sheriff's Department. "It started on private property and it's been fueled by 50-mph winds all day long." Officials evacuated a school and a subdivision and set up shelters to house displaced students and residents. McGinnis tried to reassure worried parents. "We are keeping your children safe," he said. The blaze prompted the closure of a five-mile stretch of Colorado 82 because of heavy smoke, but were hoping to reopen the road in the evening. One injury was reported, and that person was taken to a hospital. The victim's condition was not immediately known, according to McGinnis.
Pilot killed fighting blaze
Authorities had said they were preparing to evacuate a subdivision with an unknown number of homes. Red Cross spokeswoman B.J. Coyle said the agency had been told to prepare for up to 1,000 evacuees from the Carbondale fire. A third wildfire on Fort Carson land between Colorado Springs and Penrose grew to 1,000 acres Tuesday afternoon. Flames were leaping 200 feet into the air, and heavy smoke was visible from around Colorado Springs. The pilot of a single-engine air tanker working the Fort Carson blaze was killed when his plane crashed while coming in for a landing or dropping flame retardant, officials at the Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center said. The cause of the crash was unknown and the NTSB would be brought in to investigate, officials said. The Army said the wildfire had forced some evacuations, but the number of people affected wasn't known.
Bron: MSNBC
Thick, black smoke rolls across a road near Ordway, Colo., during a grass fire whipped by high winds into a massive blaze that destroyed homes and fields in and around the small southeastern Colorado town on Tuesday, April 15, 2008.
Bron: CBS NEWS | Gewijzigd: 24 april 2017, 10:37 uur, door Joyce.s
Every cloud has a silver lining
Flames explode behind a home Tuesday afternoon at the Ranch at Roaring Fork outside of Carbondale.
Flames erupt in a stand of cottonwoods after a wildfire jumped Highway 82 Tuesday afternoon, outside of Carbondale.
Aspen volunteer firefighters gather at the incident command center Tuesday afternoon at Catherine Store. Firefighters from Aspen, Basalt, Carbondale, Glenwood Springs, Eagle County, Rifle, Parachute and Silt responded to the brush fire outside of Carbondale.
©A. Times
Moist weather moves into Colorado; firefighters could catch break
ORDWAY, Colo. — A spring storm moving into Colorado Wednesday was expected to bring rain and snow to most of the state, helping firefighters battle blazes that killed three people, scorched thousands of acres and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents.
Winds gusting up to 50 mph along the Front Range and eastern plains fanned flames that spread out quickly across 7,100 acres — or 11 square miles — of grassland near Ordway and forced the evacuation of all of its 1,200 residents. At least 20 buildings — including four within town limits— were damaged, fire information officer Chris Sorensen said. That fire was 50 percent contained by late Tuesday. Two people died in that blaze, though officials haven't released details. A single-engine air tanker crashed, killing the pilot, who was battling a blaze at Fort Carson that had scorched 9,000 acres — about 14 square miles — and forced the evacuation of people living near the base. Firefighters were unable to get any part of that blaze contained by late last night, base spokesman Capt. Gregory Dorman said. Two shelters were set up at the post and another at a nearby community college to house the evacuees. The name of the pilot has not been released.
A third fire in the western Colorado mountains, outside of Carbondale, injured one person and damaged at least two homes.
In Ordway, the darkened town without electricity stood deserted as smoke hung like fog late Tuesday with all but a handful of residents having left town for the nearby communities of Sugar City and Crowley, where officials set up a shelter. An unknown number of residents were allowed to remain in a nursing care facility in a section of Ordway not threatened by the fire, Sorensen said.
Brian Walker, 45, stood ready to save his house from the flames armed with a chainsaw, a shovel, and a water hose. "Well, I got a yard, and I got a home and I want to keep it," he said. "I thought if the fire came, I thought I could do whatever I could to stop it."
Helicopter footage shot by KCNC-TV showed at least three houses fully engulfed in flames on the plains near the town about 122 miles southeast of Denver.
At least three heavy air tankers, each capable of carrying up to 2,500 gallons of fire retardant were sent to Ordway, said Steve Segin, a spokesman with the Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center, which helps coordinate response to fires. Firefighters requested a total of seven heavy air tankers.
At least two state highways were closed.
Crowley County Sheriff Miles Clark said he's asked the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to help investigate the cause.
All three fires broke out after a wetter than normal winter was followed by a dry March.
Gov. Bill Ritter declared a state of emergency, freeing up state resources to help fight the fire and immediately making available $500,000, while FEMA agreed to provide federal money to help pay for firefighting efforts.
The Army said the 9,000-acre wildfire was burning in the rolling hills and grassland that rise up from the plains to meet the pine forest in the mountains on Fort Carson outside Colorado Springs, about 60 miles south of Denver.
One state highway was closed. The cause of that fire hadn't been determined.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Mike Fergus said the single-engine air tanker that crashed, one of two sent to help battle the blaze, was based in northeastern Colorado.
Much of the state was under a National Weather Service red flag warning Tuesday, signifying high danger.
Aside from the wind, humidity around Ordway was low and temperatures reached into the 80s Tuesday afternoon.
Dry conditions on the plains and in some mountain valleys contrasted with deep snow at higher elevations.
Bron: Aspen Times
ORDWAY, Colo. — A spring storm moving into Colorado Wednesday was expected to bring rain and snow to most of the state, helping firefighters battle blazes that killed three people, scorched thousands of acres and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents.
Winds gusting up to 50 mph along the Front Range and eastern plains fanned flames that spread out quickly across 7,100 acres — or 11 square miles — of grassland near Ordway and forced the evacuation of all of its 1,200 residents. At least 20 buildings — including four within town limits— were damaged, fire information officer Chris Sorensen said. That fire was 50 percent contained by late Tuesday. Two people died in that blaze, though officials haven't released details. A single-engine air tanker crashed, killing the pilot, who was battling a blaze at Fort Carson that had scorched 9,000 acres — about 14 square miles — and forced the evacuation of people living near the base. Firefighters were unable to get any part of that blaze contained by late last night, base spokesman Capt. Gregory Dorman said. Two shelters were set up at the post and another at a nearby community college to house the evacuees. The name of the pilot has not been released.
A third fire in the western Colorado mountains, outside of Carbondale, injured one person and damaged at least two homes.
In Ordway, the darkened town without electricity stood deserted as smoke hung like fog late Tuesday with all but a handful of residents having left town for the nearby communities of Sugar City and Crowley, where officials set up a shelter. An unknown number of residents were allowed to remain in a nursing care facility in a section of Ordway not threatened by the fire, Sorensen said.
Brian Walker, 45, stood ready to save his house from the flames armed with a chainsaw, a shovel, and a water hose. "Well, I got a yard, and I got a home and I want to keep it," he said. "I thought if the fire came, I thought I could do whatever I could to stop it."
Helicopter footage shot by KCNC-TV showed at least three houses fully engulfed in flames on the plains near the town about 122 miles southeast of Denver.
At least three heavy air tankers, each capable of carrying up to 2,500 gallons of fire retardant were sent to Ordway, said Steve Segin, a spokesman with the Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center, which helps coordinate response to fires. Firefighters requested a total of seven heavy air tankers.
At least two state highways were closed.
Crowley County Sheriff Miles Clark said he's asked the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to help investigate the cause.
All three fires broke out after a wetter than normal winter was followed by a dry March.
Gov. Bill Ritter declared a state of emergency, freeing up state resources to help fight the fire and immediately making available $500,000, while FEMA agreed to provide federal money to help pay for firefighting efforts.
The Army said the 9,000-acre wildfire was burning in the rolling hills and grassland that rise up from the plains to meet the pine forest in the mountains on Fort Carson outside Colorado Springs, about 60 miles south of Denver.
One state highway was closed. The cause of that fire hadn't been determined.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Mike Fergus said the single-engine air tanker that crashed, one of two sent to help battle the blaze, was based in northeastern Colorado.
Much of the state was under a National Weather Service red flag warning Tuesday, signifying high danger.
Aside from the wind, humidity around Ordway was low and temperatures reached into the 80s Tuesday afternoon.
Dry conditions on the plains and in some mountain valleys contrasted with deep snow at higher elevations.
Bron: Aspen Times
Every cloud has a silver lining
Colorado wildfires prompt state of emergency
DENVER (Reuters) - The governor of Colorado declared a state of emergency on Wednesday after two early-season wildfires killed three firefighters and forced the evacuation of an entire town. Two volunteer firefighters died when a wind-blown, 8,900-acre (3,600-hectare) blaze roared toward the town of Ordway in southeastern Colorado late on Tuesday, Colorado Division of Emergency Management spokeswoman Polly White said. "The coroner has confirmed to us that the victims were correctional officers" at a nearby prison, White said. More than 1,000 residents of the farming community fled the town, about 130 miles southeast of Denver. White said eight residences were destroyed in Ordway and 16 houses were lost outside city limits. Up to 50 outbuildings may also have burned, White said. Crews from 35 agencies were on the scene and hoped to have the fire under control by mid-afternoon. Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter said he would survey the damage on Wednesday and designated $500,000 in emergency funds for firefighting and rebuilding. The state also will seek federal help including Small Business Administration loans for the ravaged area. "We will be doing all we can to assist the people ... as they try to bring this fire under control," Ritter said. The pilot of an aircraft dropping fire retardant on a second wildfire near the Fort Carson Army base in southern Colorado died on Tuesday night when his plane crashed in dense smoke, El Paso County Sheriff's Office Cmdr. Jim Reid said. The blaze has charred more than 9,600 acres (3,885 hectares) near the Army post, 100 miles south of Denver. No structure has been lost but 500 residents were evacuated, and the fire is only 10 percent contained, Reid said.
Cooler temperatures, calmer winds, rain and snow were expected on Wednesday and should help crews get the blaze under control, he said. The cause of the fires was under investigation.
Bron: Reuters
DENVER (Reuters) - The governor of Colorado declared a state of emergency on Wednesday after two early-season wildfires killed three firefighters and forced the evacuation of an entire town. Two volunteer firefighters died when a wind-blown, 8,900-acre (3,600-hectare) blaze roared toward the town of Ordway in southeastern Colorado late on Tuesday, Colorado Division of Emergency Management spokeswoman Polly White said. "The coroner has confirmed to us that the victims were correctional officers" at a nearby prison, White said. More than 1,000 residents of the farming community fled the town, about 130 miles southeast of Denver. White said eight residences were destroyed in Ordway and 16 houses were lost outside city limits. Up to 50 outbuildings may also have burned, White said. Crews from 35 agencies were on the scene and hoped to have the fire under control by mid-afternoon. Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter said he would survey the damage on Wednesday and designated $500,000 in emergency funds for firefighting and rebuilding. The state also will seek federal help including Small Business Administration loans for the ravaged area. "We will be doing all we can to assist the people ... as they try to bring this fire under control," Ritter said. The pilot of an aircraft dropping fire retardant on a second wildfire near the Fort Carson Army base in southern Colorado died on Tuesday night when his plane crashed in dense smoke, El Paso County Sheriff's Office Cmdr. Jim Reid said. The blaze has charred more than 9,600 acres (3,885 hectares) near the Army post, 100 miles south of Denver. No structure has been lost but 500 residents were evacuated, and the fire is only 10 percent contained, Reid said.
Cooler temperatures, calmer winds, rain and snow were expected on Wednesday and should help crews get the blaze under control, he said. The cause of the fires was under investigation.
Bron: Reuters
Every cloud has a silver lining
Midvalley wildfire fully contained
CARBONDALE — The County Road 100 fire was declared fully contained by the Carbondale Fire Department at 6 p.m. Wednesday. All evacuation orders were canceled and travel restrictions on Highway 82 and county roads were lifted. The fire, which was reported as out of control shortly after noon on Tuesday, charred about 1,000 acres of private land between Catherine Store and Carbondale. Fire crews from throughout the valley and as far away as the Grand Junction area helped fight the blaze. Clean-up operations will continue through Thursday.
Bron: Aspen Times News
CARBONDALE — The County Road 100 fire was declared fully contained by the Carbondale Fire Department at 6 p.m. Wednesday. All evacuation orders were canceled and travel restrictions on Highway 82 and county roads were lifted. The fire, which was reported as out of control shortly after noon on Tuesday, charred about 1,000 acres of private land between Catherine Store and Carbondale. Fire crews from throughout the valley and as far away as the Grand Junction area helped fight the blaze. Clean-up operations will continue through Thursday.
Bron: Aspen Times News
Every cloud has a silver lining
Tennessee Wildfire Started by Motorcycle Crash
GATLINBURN, Tenn. — A fire blazing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was started by a motorcycle crash. National Park Service spokesman Bob Miller said the fire had grown to about 10 acres by Wednesday night and would expand further Thursday while firefighters worked to contain it. It began when a rider crashed his motorcycle on U.S. 129 in a winding area known as "the Dragon." Miller said the steep and rocky terrain prevents firefighters from making a direct attack on the fire. They were working to contain it between the highway and the Topoco power line. Officials said the motorcyclist walked away from the crash.
Bron: FOX
GATLINBURN, Tenn. — A fire blazing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was started by a motorcycle crash. National Park Service spokesman Bob Miller said the fire had grown to about 10 acres by Wednesday night and would expand further Thursday while firefighters worked to contain it. It began when a rider crashed his motorcycle on U.S. 129 in a winding area known as "the Dragon." Miller said the steep and rocky terrain prevents firefighters from making a direct attack on the fire. They were working to contain it between the highway and the Topoco power line. Officials said the motorcyclist walked away from the crash.
Bron: FOX
Every cloud has a silver lining
Bosbranden in westen VS
Er komen bosbranden voor in een aantal van de westelijke VS staten. Meer dan duizend mensen moesten geëvacueerd worden. In Ordway(Denver) stonden winden tot 80 km/u, deze zorgde voor verder verspreiding van het vuur en zorgde ervoor dat in Ordway 1200 mensen hun huis moesten verlaten.
Bosbranden komen vaak voor in tijden van extreme droogte en sterke wind. In de zomer en herfst kunnen gevallen takken, blaadjes en ander materiaal uitdrogen en zeer ontvlambaar worden.
De afgelopen dag is de Relatieve luchtvochtigheid gestegen en is de wind wat gaan liggen, maar het vuur is nog niet voor 100% gedoofd.
Een tweede brand kwam voor in de bergen van Colorado. Deze brand is inmiddels ook onder controle en de mensen zijn naar huis teruggekeerd. Inmiddels is er wat sneeuw in de westelijke staten van de VS gevallen, dit hielp ook mee om de branden uit te doven. Gedurende het weekend wordt het weerbeeld weer droger en mooier.
©Weeronline
Er komen bosbranden voor in een aantal van de westelijke VS staten. Meer dan duizend mensen moesten geëvacueerd worden. In Ordway(Denver) stonden winden tot 80 km/u, deze zorgde voor verder verspreiding van het vuur en zorgde ervoor dat in Ordway 1200 mensen hun huis moesten verlaten.
Bosbranden komen vaak voor in tijden van extreme droogte en sterke wind. In de zomer en herfst kunnen gevallen takken, blaadjes en ander materiaal uitdrogen en zeer ontvlambaar worden.
De afgelopen dag is de Relatieve luchtvochtigheid gestegen en is de wind wat gaan liggen, maar het vuur is nog niet voor 100% gedoofd.
Een tweede brand kwam voor in de bergen van Colorado. Deze brand is inmiddels ook onder controle en de mensen zijn naar huis teruggekeerd. Inmiddels is er wat sneeuw in de westelijke staten van de VS gevallen, dit hielp ook mee om de branden uit te doven. Gedurende het weekend wordt het weerbeeld weer droger en mooier.
©Weeronline
