Colorado Declared National Disaster Area
June 29, 2012
President Barack Obama has declared Colorado, currently being ravaged by wildfires, a national disaster area. The declaration releases federal funds for people affected by the two worst fires of the eight or so raging in the state: the High Park Fire in the north and the Waldo Canyon Fire in the center of the state.
The High Park Fire–the second-largest fire in Colorado’s history–began June 9 with a lightning spark in the Fort Collins area. By June 29, the blaze had consumed more than 87,000 acres, destroyed 259 homes, and caused the death of one person. Fire officials stated that as of Friday, the fire had not grown for two days and was considered 85 percent contained.
The Waldo Canyon Fire, raging since June 23, is smaller. However, extremely dry, hot, and windy conditions have made this fire fiercer, faster-moving, and more difficult to restrain. The blaze began near Waldo Canyon in the Pike National Forest. It quickly reached the northwestern outskirts of Colorado Springs–the state’s second most populous city–and doubled in size. By Friday, the fire had destroyed at least 346 houses, forced more than 36,000 people to evacuate their homes, and killed at least one person. The charred remains of the victim were discovered late Thursday in the Mountain Shadows subdivision, one of the areas hardest hit. Some 20,000 homes and the U.S. Air Force Academy remain under threat of the fire, which has burned more than 18,500 acres. According to local fire officials, the blaze is only 15 percent contained.
The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, reports that 32 large, active fires also continue to rage in 7 other western states: Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.
Additional World Book articles:
- Forest
- Forest Service
- Weather 2011 (a Back in Time article)
- Why Forests Need to Burn (a special report)
