Cameron Peak Fire ignited in arid and rugged terrain
Cameron Peak Fire Progression Map, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020. (InciWeb)
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — A wildfire that has scorched more than 326 square miles (844 square kilometers) since it started in mid-August, becoming the largest in Colorado history, has damaged or destroyed more than 200 homes, officials said.
As of Monday, the Cameron Peak Fire in northern Colorado had destroyed 426 buildings and damaged another eight, said David Moore, a spokesman for the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office. The affected buildings include 209 homes, 208 outbuildings and 17 buildings that were designated as businesses as part of the Shambhala Mountain Center, a meditation retreat in the mountains northwest of Fort Collins.
The fire ignited in arid and rugged terrain near Rocky Mountain National Park on Aug. 13 and has charred some of the most pristine land in the state. Fire investigators have not said what caused the blaze, which is 64% contained.
InciWeb: Cameron Peak Fire Updates
Damage assessment crews were combing the area after snow and cold weather put a damper on the fire over the weekend.
Meanwhile, crews were trying to determine how many homes were damaged and destroyed by Colorado’s second-largest recorded wildfire which forced evacuations and closed Rocky Mountain National Park.
The East Troublesome Fire, just southwest of the Cameron Peak Fire, has destroyed about 301 square miles (780 square kilometers) and is 20% contained.
The blaze forced thousands of people to flee their homes and burned part of Rocky Mountain National Park, but the full extent of the damages is not yet known. Grand County Sheriff Brett Schroetlin has previously said there was “lots of structural loss” because of the fire but has declined to estimate the number of homes lost.
The town of Grand Lake, which was evacuated last week after the fire exploded in size, was not damaged, and no one is unaccounted for in the area burned by the fire.
InciWeb: East Troublesome Fire Updates
Lyle and Marylin Hileman, aged 86 and 84, were found dead Friday after refusing to leave their home near Grand Lake. Their last known words were in a call to their son, saying calmly and adamantly that they would stay in their basement.
Gov. Jared Polis said Friday that the East Troublesome Fire, which was reported Oct. 14, was likely caused by human activity.
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