Much of Rocky Mountain National Park Reopens after Wildfire

East Troublesome Fire is second-largest in state history

 

 

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, Colo. (AP) — Many areas of Rocky Mountain National Park reopened Friday after being closed for two weeks after a massive wildfire spread into the park.

The west side of the park, where the East Troublesome Fire burned after making a big run in extremely dry conditions on Oct. 21, will remain closed because of the damage caused by the fire and ongoing safety assessments, park spokesperson Kyle Patterson said. Some areas on the eastern side of the park are also remained closed so park staff can check them for any fire activity and downed trees.

See also  Driving Through Hell in California

The fire’s explosive growth led to the evacuation of the Grand Lake and the Estes Park areas.

InciWeb: East Troublesome Fire Updates

The fire, the second-largest in Colorado history, destroyed more than 300 homes and between 100 and 200 secondary structures including barns and garages. It has burned about 303 square miles (784 square kilometers) but has not significantly grown since a storm dropped snow across the area on Oct. 25.

All contents © copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Topics

East Troublesome Fire is second-largest in state history     ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, Colo. (AP) — Many areas of Rocky Mountain National Park reopened Friday after being closed for two weeks after a massive wildfire spread into the park. The west side of the park, where the East Troublesome Fire burned after making a […]

Get The Wildland Firefighter Newsletter

Related Articles

Lessons Learned from Line-of-Duty Deaths in the Wildland

Lessons Learned from Line-of-Duty Deaths in the Wildland

By THOMAS W. AURNHAMMER After moving from New Mexico to Colorado, I must admit that I had a lot to learn about fighting fire in the wildland. I was used to having resources in my former fire department such as water and somewhat adequate staffing. Providing fire...