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Tag: Wildfire Prevention

Planned Outages And Policy Goals Fuel Concerns About Colorado Energy Future
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Planned Outages And Policy Goals Fuel Concerns About Colorado Energy Future

By Jon Caldara | Commentary, Complete Colorado I’ve lived in Colorado since 1970. And you know what Colorado had back in 1970? High winds blowing down the Front Range. I moved to Boulder in 1984 and have been there ever since. And you know what Boulder has had all that time? A freakin’ lot of high winds. I remember as a college kid walking around the CU campus after windstorms, stepping around uprooted trees and massive broken branches that made the sidewalks impassable. I’ve seen rooftop shingles go flying off Boulder buildings, signs ripped down, and semi-trucks overturned. All of which is to say that for the last 55 years I have personally witnessed a crap-ton of high winds in our mountain state. But only in the last few months have I witnessed our ...
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High Winds Trigger Powerline Safety Measures in Boulder County
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DENVER7, Approved, Local

High Winds Trigger Powerline Safety Measures in Boulder County

By: Tyler Melito | Denver7 Several projects in Boulder are underway to move power lines underground — a move residents Denver7 spoke with say they welcome. BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — High winds predicted for Thursday are prompting proactive measures by energy providers like Xcel. The company plans to implement an enhanced powerline safety setting — making lines more sensitive and automatically shut off power if something hits the line — on Thursday in several counties to allow power to remain in service with additional sensitivity protections in place. But Xcel and the City of Boulder are working on a long-term solution amid community pushback on public safety power shutoffs. Part of that includes continuing to bury power lines; 60% of the city's power lines...
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Congress Should Fix Our Forests Before the Next Red Flag Warning
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Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Congress Should Fix Our Forests Before the Next Red Flag Warning

By Hunter Rivera | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice I still remember the orange sky over Loveland in October 2020: ash on windshields, headlights at noon, and a horizon rimmed with flame. The Cameron Peak Fire burned more than 200,000 acres across the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Rocky Mountain National Park, destroying hundreds of structures and forcing thousands to evacuate. The same month, the East Troublesome Fire exploded across Grand County, jumping the Continental Divide and claiming lives. Those weren’t abstract “Western wildfire” headlines. They were in Northern Colorado’s front yard. If you want to remember what megafire really means, drive Highway 14 toward Cameron Pass. Mile after mile, blackened trunks still stand like matchsticks where forest...
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Xcel Wildfire Power Shutoffs Leave Boulder Businesses With Major Financial Damage
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kdvr.com, Approved, Local

Xcel Wildfire Power Shutoffs Leave Boulder Businesses With Major Financial Damage

By Anna Coon | KDVR BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR)— Dozens of Boulder businesses say they lost tens of thousands of dollars after going days without electricity during planned power outages by Xcel Energy in December, and the utility company says it will not reimburse those losses. Xcel shut off power to thousands of customers on Dec. 17 and again on Dec. 19 as strong winds increased wildfire risk across the Denver-metro and along the Front Range. While the outages were planned as a public safety measure, some businesses say power was not restored for days, forcing closures and the disposal of spoiled inventory. A survey conducted by the Boulder Chamber of Commerce found that roughly 250 of about 300 responding businesses reported being negatively affected by the outa...
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Wind Forecast And Fire Risk Force School Schedule Changes In Metro Denver
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CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Wind Forecast And Fire Risk Force School Schedule Changes In Metro Denver

By Austen Erblat | CBS Colorado With strong winds and dry conditions forecast for Wednesday in Colorado, Xcel Energy says it will shut off power in large portions of the Denver metro area along the Front Range in an effort to prevent wildfires. As a result, some schools will be operating on a modified schedule while other school districts say they're in contact with Xcel Energy and might still change school schedules. While you should check with your child's school or school district for the latest information, as of Tuesday evening, the following changes or possible changes are in place: Weld County The Weld RE-4 School District says elementary school classes will be cancelled and middle and elementary schools will be getting out earl...
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Same week, same county, different response: Inside the Elk and Lee fires
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Local, Top Stories

Same week, same county, different response: Inside the Elk and Lee fires

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Flames boiled the pond on Mike Clark’s ranch, scorched irrigated fields and melted fiberglass fence posts in minutes. On August 6, the Lee Fire came so fast friends were calling with warnings as his family scrambled to clear trees and pump water toward the house.  Just miles away on the Elk Fire side, air tankers and ground crews had been dropping water since early morning. Mike Clark is no stranger to high stakes. A fourth-generation Coloradan and CEO of Petrox Resources, he built his life and business in the same place he raised his children. For decades, Clark has run Petrox while also working the family’s ranch, a property he moved to more than 30 years ago for its open spaces, agricultural roots and the chance to raise his kids in a...
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Over 4200 Acres Burned in South Rim Wildfire, Now 50% Contained
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Local, Approved, kdvr.com

Over 4200 Acres Burned in South Rim Wildfire, Now 50% Contained

By Jacob Factor | KDVR Fox31 DENVER (KDVR) — As containment grows for the more than 4,000-acre wildfire burning in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, officials have detailed some of the park’s losses, what crews have saved and what’s next for the park as portions reopen. Fire officials recently published a detailed story map of the South Rim Fire, which has burned about 4,200 acres in the National Park in Montrose County and just Wednesday surpassed 50% containment. The fire has been burning since lightning ignited it and several other Colorado wildfires on July 10. Fire officials in a Wednesday morning update said the north rim side of the National Park is also set to reopen Wednesday. Here’s a look at where the South Rim Fire is now and how the Black Canyon of the Gu...
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