Series of fires in Colorado, United States
2020 Colorado wildfires Total fires 1,078 Total area 665,454 acres (269,300 ha) Deaths 2[ 2] Damage >$266 million (suppression)[ 3]
The 2020 Colorado wildfire season was a series of significant wildfires that burned throughout the U.S. state of Colorado as part of the 2020 Western United States wildfire season . With a total of 665,454 acres (269,300 ha) burned, and the 3 largest fires in state history, it is Colorado's largest wildfire season on record.[ 4]
During this season, the Cameron Peak Fire burned 208,913 acres, making it the largest wildfire recorded in the state of Colorado after it surpassed the Pine Gulch Fire , which earned the title seven weeks prior.[ 5] [ 6] Also surpassing the Pine Gulch Fire in size was the East Troublesome Fire , which, when fully contained on November 30, had burned a total of 193,812 acres. In total, the suppression costs for the fires during the 2020 season amounted to at least $266 million (2020 USD ). Throughout the year thousands of people were forced to evacuate, including the whole town of Estes Park during the East Troublesome fire. Air quality was poor as well through much of the fire season, especially during the Cameron Peak and East Troublesome fires. [ 3]
List of wildfires
The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 ha), or produced significant structural damage or casualties.
Name
County
Acres
Start date
Containment date
Notes
Ref
Bent Fort
Otero
1,500
April 11
April 13
Human-caused.
[ 3] [ 7]
PCMS Complex
Las Animas
2,175
May 16
May 21
Unknown cause.
[ 3] [ 8]
Villegreen
Las Animas
1,731
May 18
May 18
Human-caused.
[ 3] [ 9]
Cherry Canyon
Las Animas
11,818
May 20
May 27
Caused by lightning.
[ 3] [ 10]
Bent Canyon
Las Animas
1,800
June 4
June 11
Caused by lightning.
[ 3] [ 11]
Barela
Las Animas
2,521
June 5
June 5
Caused by lightning.
[ 3] [ 12]
Sieber
Mesa
1,094
June 5
June 9
Unknown cause.
[ 3] [ 13]
Deer Canyon
Las Animas
3,872
June 6
June 20
Caused by lightning.
[ 3] [ 14]
Fawn Creek
Rio Blanco
3,226
July 13
July 23
Caused by lightning.
[ 3] [ 15]
East Canyon
La Plata , Montezuma
2,905
June 14
June 27
Caused by lightning.
[ 3] [ 16]
County Road T
Kiowa
1,201
June 15
June 16
Human-caused.
[ 3] [ 17]
Prowers
Prowers
1,472
June 17
June 17
Human-caused.
[ 3] [ 18]
Streeter
Moffat
1,639
July 7
July 27
Human-caused.
[ 3] [ 19]
Sunday
Weld
2,000
July 19
July 19
Unknown cause.
[ 3]
Pine Gulch
Mesa , Garfield
139,007
July 31
September 22
Caused by lightning. It was the largest wildfire in Colorado history until it was surpassed by the Cameron Peak Fire seven weeks later. 6 structures destroyed
[ 3] [ 6]
Grizzly Creek
Garfield , Eagle
32,631
August 10
December 18
Human-caused. 3 structures destroyed.
[ 3] [ 20]
Cameron Peak
Larimer
208,913
August 13
December 2
Unknown cause. It is the largest wildfire in Colorado history. 469 structures destroyed, 8 structures damaged.
[ 3] [ 21] [ 22]
Williams Fork
Grand
14,833
August 14
November 15
Human-caused.
[ 3] [ 23]
Deter-Winters
Adams
2,000
August 19
August 19
Unknown cause.
[ 3] [ 24]
Shamrock
Adams
4,200
August 19
August 19
Unknown cause.
[ 3] [ 25]
East Fork
Las Animas
1,682
August 22
September 24
Caused by lightning. Burned in two state wildlife areas .
[ 3] [ 26]
Middle Fork
Routt , Jackson
20,517
September 6
November 17
Caused by lightning.
[ 3] [ 27]
Mullen
Jackson , Carbon (WY) , Albany (WY)
September 17
December 3
Unknown cause. The fire started in Wyoming , and crossed into Colorado on September 30. Sixty-six structures destroyed.
[ 3] [ 28] [ 29]
East Troublesome
Grand , Larimer
193,812
October 14
November 30
Unknown cause, 580 structures destroyed, 2 fatalities.[ 2] As it underwent an explosive burst of growth on October 21, the fire created a huge pyrocumulonimbus cloud that rose to about 40,000 ft (12,000 m).[ 30]
[ 3] [ 31]
Calwood
Boulder
10,106
October 17
November 19
Unknown cause, 28 structures destroyed.
[ 3] [ 32]
As of September 19, 2024 (UTC )
See also
References
^ "National Year-to-Date Report on Fires and Acres Burned" (PDF) . Retrieved December 16, 2020 . *This resource is annually updated, therefore its data doesn't represent this article's fires. For the archived PDF, see National Year-to-Date Report on Fires and Acres Burned by State and Agency for 2020 .
^ a b Spells, Alta; Maxouris, Christina (October 24, 2020). "An elderly couple refused to leave the home they loved and were killed in the East Troublesome Fire" . CNN . Retrieved October 24, 2020 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa "National Large Incident Year-to-Date Report" (PDF) . Retrieved December 16, 2020 . *This resource is annually updated, therefore its data doesn't represent this article's fires. For the archived PDF, see National Large Incident Year-to-Date Report for 2020 .
^ Ingold, John (October 20, 2020). "Five charts that show where 2020 ranks in Colorado wildfire history" . Colorado Sun . Retrieved June 27, 2021 .
^ Lytle, Kevin. "Cameron Peak Fire becomes largest wildfire in Colorado history, growing more than 20,000 acres in a day" . USA TODAY . Retrieved 2020-10-15 .
^ a b "Pine Gulch Fire Information - InciWeb the Incident Information System" . inciweb.nwcg.gov . Retrieved September 26, 2020 .
^ "Bent Fort Fire near Pueblo, Colorado - Current Incident Information and Wildfire Map | Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center" . FireWeatherAvalanche.org . Retrieved October 24, 2020 .
^ "Pcms Complex Fire near Rocky Ford, Colorado - Current Incident Information and Wildfire Map | Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center" . FireWeatherAvalanche.org . Retrieved September 27, 2020 .
^ "Villegreen Fire near La Junta, Colorado - Current Incident Information and Wildfire Map | Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center" . FireWeatherAvalanche.org . Retrieved September 27, 2020 .
^ "Cherry Canyon Fire near La Junta, Colorado - Current Incident Information and Wildfire Map | Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center" . FireWeatherAvalanche.org . Retrieved September 27, 2020 .
^ "Bent Canyon Fire near La Junta, Colorado - Current Incident Information and Wildfire Map | Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center" . FireWeatherAvalanche.org . Retrieved October 24, 2020 .
^ "Barela Fire near Pueblo, Colorado - Current Incident Information and Wildfire Map | Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center" . FireWeatherAvalanche.org . Retrieved September 27, 2020 .
^ "Sieber Fire near Glade Park, Colorado - Current Incident Information and Wildfire Map | Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center" . FireWeatherAvalanche.org . Retrieved September 27, 2020 .
^ "Deer Canyon Fire near Boise City, Oklahoma - Current Incident Information and Wildfire Map | Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center" . FireWeatherAvalanche.org . Retrieved October 24, 2020 .
^ "Fawn Creek Fire Information - InciWeb the Incident Information System" . inciweb.nwcg.gov . Retrieved October 24, 2020 .
^ "East Creek Fire Update June 15, 2020 - InciWeb the Incident Information System" . inciweb.nwcg.gov . Retrieved October 24, 2020 .
^ "County Rd T Fire near Lamar, Colorado - Current Incident Information and Wildfire Map | Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center" . FireWeatherAvalanche.org . Retrieved September 27, 2020 .
^ "Prowers Fire near Springfield, Colorado - Current Incident Information and Wildfire Map | Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center" . FireWeatherAvalanche.org . Retrieved September 27, 2020 .
^ "Streeter Fire near Hamilton, Colorado - Current Incident Information and Wildfire Map | Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center" . FireWeatherAvalanche.org . Retrieved October 24, 2020 .
^ "Grizzly Creek Fire Information - InciWeb the Incident Information System" . inciweb.nwcg.gov . Retrieved October 24, 2020 .
^ "Cameron Peak Fire Information - InciWeb the Incident Information System" . inciweb.nwcg.gov . Retrieved October 24, 2020 .
^ Fleskes, Austin (October 27, 2020). "More than 400 structures destroyed by Cameron Peak Fire" . Loveland Report-Herald . Retrieved October 30, 2020 .
^ "Williams Fork Fire Information - InciWeb the Incident Information System" . inciweb.nwcg.gov . Retrieved October 24, 2020 .
^ "Deter-Winters Fire near Hoyt, Colorado - Current Incident Information and Wildfire Map | Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center" . FireWeatherAvalanche.org . Retrieved September 27, 2020 .
^ "Shamrock Fire near Hoyt, Colorado - Current Incident Information and Wildfire Map | Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center" . FireWeatherAvalanche.org . Retrieved September 27, 2020 .
^ "East Fork Fire held to 1,680 acres, now 60 percent contained" . KOAA . 2020-08-28. Retrieved 2021-01-03 .
^ "Middle Fork Fire Information - InciWeb the Incident Information System" . inciweb.nwcg.gov . Retrieved October 24, 2020 .
^ "Mullen Fire Information - InciWeb the Incident Information System" . inciweb.nwcg.gov . Retrieved October 24, 2020 .
^ "Story Map Series" . nifc.maps.arcgis.com . Retrieved October 22, 2020 .
^ "October 27, 2020 – Smoke from Colorado over the Mediterranean" . modis.gsfc.nasa.gov . MODIS characterization support team. October 27, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020 .
^ "East Troublesome Fire Information - InciWeb the Incident Information System" . inciweb.nwcg.gov . Retrieved October 24, 2020 .
^ "Calwood Fire Information - InciWeb the Incident Information System" . inciweb.nwcg.gov . Retrieved 2020-10-22 .
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