Wild Fires

[American Patriot]

Wild fire was whipped up by the 70 MPH winds yesterday in Jefferson County.

At this time over 5 square miles of land has burned. Several homes have been destroyed - though I don't have a count at this time. Over 1000 homes have been evacuated.

Scores of other homes in areas in the fire's path have been slated to be evacuated sometime today.

The fire is moving at roughly 5-8 mph to the NW.

Winds today are not going to be as bad as yesterday, but it is still windy.

150-200 fire fighters are on the ground. Yesterday tankers were prevented from dropping retardant on the fire by extremely high wind speeds so all fire suppression was accomplished by ground crews.

The fire is located about 25 miles SW of Denver, in the Conifer area.

The Pueblo area (40 miles south of Colorado Springs) reported as many as 9 small fires which have been extinguished.

It's going to be a rather wild ride this year....

[American Patriot]

I forgot... one body was found in the burn area. Fire investigators and police are investigating the death.

[American Patriot]

Wind drives fast wildfire west of Denver
By KRISTEN WYATT, Associated Press – 18 minutes ago


CONIFER, Colo. (AP) — The residents of about 900 homes have been evacuated and more are under threat Tuesday as a wind-driven wildfire scorched a mostly rural area in the mountains southwest of Denver.


The blaze, several miles and mountain ridges west of the city's tightly populated southwestern suburbs, has destroyed 15 to 25 houses, authorities said.


A body was found late Monday but investigators have yet to determine the cause of death. The victim wasn't a firefighter or emergency responder, Jefferson County sheriff's spokeswoman Jacki Kelley said.


The fire spread to nearly 5 square miles within a matter of hours, spurred by high wind gusts that prevented air crews from helping firefighters on Monday. Forecasters said gusts were expected to be lighter on Tuesday, though a period of stronger winds was expected in the afternoon.
"The wind will really tell the story today," Kelley said.


The wildfire may have been a prescribed burn from last week that sprang back to life because of the gusts, Kelley said. Prescribed burns are usually done to thin out vegetation to reduce the chances of a major wildfire.


Temperatures lately have been reaching into the 70s during an especially dry March, raising the fire danger around Colorado.


Video from KUSA-TV's helicopter showed one home burned to its foundation with a flicker burning in the rubble. Another home appeared untouched, a car parked in the driveway, although land across the road was charred.


The fire was about 25 miles southwest of Denver in a rugged, largely rural area where the altitude ranges from 7,000 to 8,200 feet. The region of pines and grassland is dotted with hamlets and the occasional expensive home. Denver's southwestern suburbs were not under threat.


About 100 firefighters were deployed to protect homes overnight.
Shelters were set up at high schools in Conifer and in the southwest Denver suburb of Littleton.


Fewer than 100 people were at the shelter at Conifer High School late Monday. Many ate pizza and fried chicken and watched TV as volunteers wheeled in dog and cat food for pets that were put up in two classrooms.



About 50 cots were set up in the gym, where kids played basketball to pass the time. Conifer was on spring break so classes weren't disrupted.
Kathy Wilkens, a 21-year Conifer resident, got a reverse-911 call at 8:30 p.m. She, her husband and two teen boys took shelter at the high school.
"Normally, we have a lot of snow this time of year. You'd just never think you'd have to evacuate for a fire in March," Wilkens said.


Rose Applegate said she received a call at 6:30 p.m. She had seen smoke in the afternoon and expected to be evacuated.


"I could tell we were in the path," Applegate said. "We gathered up a few things and came here."


She and her husband were staying the night. "We're going to stay close around here because we want to know what's going on," she said.


The fire sent up billows of smoke that dominated the sky over Denver.



The National Weather Service said weather radar showed the smoke plume had drifted about 100 miles to the northeast by nightfall.


Up to a dozen smaller fires were reported from the northeast Colorado plains to the southern part of the state Monday. There were no immediate reports of injuries or structures destroyed in any of the other fires.

[American Patriot]

They believe this fire is the result of a controlled burn that probably restarted in the big winds.

15-25 homes have been destroyed.

450 firefighters and tankers will be re-attacking this afternoon.

They were pulled out yesterday afternoon when the winds whipped up so high.

(I was having 50 knot gusts here in the Springs are and plains east of the Springs, it was nasty, I had dirt in my eyes, mouth and up my nose while getting gasoline yesterday about 3pm local time.)

[American Patriot]

A second body has been found in the fire zone.

[American Patriot]

ARES District 14 (El Paso, Teller counties) was activated last night. Fires out by 11 Mile Reservoir have grown rather large, I don't know the size yet. I know that the ARES group was running radios from about 2000 on last night.

A LOT of homes have been evacuated out that way. This area is about 60 miles from Colorado Springs. Lake George is not evacuated yet, but is on alert (it's about 35 miles or so from COS).

The cause has not yet been determined.

We have the High Park fire up north which is STILL burning.

Today's weather... hot (yesterday was 96 or so all over the state), dry and WINDY.

This is NOT looking very well. Lake George and 11 Mile are both well west of the Springs, but there is almost nothing but forests on the sides of the mountains between here and there.

[American Patriot]

June 18, 2012 4:36 AM

Wildfires force more evacuations as officials say looters targeting victims




Clouds of smoke billow in the background as a Larimer County, Colo., Sheriff's Department deputy directs an evacuated homeowner off Deer Meadow Way east of Red Feather Lakes, Colo., June 17, 2012, as a stubborn wildfire continues to burn in northern Colorado. (AP)




(CBS/AP) DENVER - Crews in northern Colorado faced powerful winds Sunday as they battled a blaze that has scorched 87 square miles of mountainous forest land and destroyed at least 181 homes, the most in state history. Meanwhile, local authorities are focusing on another concern — looting.


The destructiveness of the High Park Fire burning 15 miles west of Fort Collins surpassed the Fourmile Canyon wildfire, which destroyed 169 homes west of Boulder in September 2010.


The firefighting force has steadily increased and by Sunday night officials said about 1,750 personnel were working on the fire, which was sparked by lightning and was 45 percent contained.


Julie Berney with the Larimer County Sheriff's Office said firefighters dealt with winds of 30 mph with gusts of up to 50 mph Sunday. Some rain moved through Saturday evening, but it wasn't enough to quell the fire.


"The problem is that when you have a fire like this, even if it rains it evaporates before it hits the ground," Berney said.


Wildfire destroys most homes in Colo. history
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Huge Colo. fire jumps river, prompting new evacs


Despite the winds, fire officials said crews Sunday were able to maintain most existing fire lines, with the fire chewing through about 1,000 more acres.
Incident commander Bill Hahnenberg said he was pleased with the firefighters' progress.


"A scenario could be we'll lose some line, and then we just go after it the next day and the next day," he said. "We're going to do everything we can to protect facilities, and we're prepared to do that."


On Sunday afternoon, high winds prompted fire managers to ground all helicopters working on the blaze and to send 96 notices to residents, ordering the immediate evacuation of the Hewlett Gulch Subdivision in the Poudre Canyon area north of the fire. It was unclear how many homes were affected.


Sunday night, Larimer County officials said evacuations orders were also issued for Soldier Canyon and Mill Canyon areas. The officials said 331 notifications were sent.
Rich Baker told CBS station KCNC that he was forced to leave the home he built from the ground up.


"It's been hard," he told KCNC, "We're just praying to the good lord it'll still be there.


KCNC's Rick Sallinger reports that, in one neighborhood, evacuees were allowed back home on Sunday, only to be told soon after that they had to leave again, and fast.


"We unpacked everything when we got home. Now we've got nothing. We've got nothing at all," lamented one such unlucky resident.


A high wind warning was in effect all day, and crews are expecting more of the same Monday: winds of 30-50 mph, low humidity and high temperatures.


As firefighters try to get the upper hand on the blaze, which has burned large swaths of private and U.S. Forest Service land, local authorities have dispatched roving patrols to combat looting.


On Sunday, deputies arrested 30-year-old Michael Stillman Maher, of Denver, on charges including theft and impersonating a firefighter. The sheriff's department said Maher was driving through the fire zone with phony firefighter credentials and a stolen government license plate.


His truck was later seen near a bar in Laporte, and investigators say they found a firearm and stolen property in the vehicle.


"There's a handful out there that are taking advantage of others," said Sheriff Justin Smith, adding that "if somebody's sneaking around back there, we're going to find them."

[American Patriot]

Winds, high temperatures fan Colorado wildfires







By Keith Coffman
DENVER | Sun Jun 17, 2012 11:05pm EDT



(Reuters) - Gusting winds and high temperatures hampered firefighters on Sunday as they battled to tame a record wildfire in northern Colorado that has charred more than 85 square miles (200 square km) and sent a plume of smoke billowing thousands of feet into the air.


The winds and smoke also grounded air support for firefighters battling the so-called High Park Fire raging for more than a week in mountain canyons 15 miles west of Fort Collins, fire spokesman Brett Haverstick said.


The lightning-sparked blaze has destroyed 181 homes since it was reported June 9, ranking it as the most destructive wildfire on record in Colorado.


It is also blamed for the death of a 62-year-old grandmother whose remains were found in the ashes of a mountain cabin where she lived alone.


More than 1,600 firefighters are on the scene of the fire which officials said has so far cost $11 million to fight. Smoke from the blaze was visible Sunday in Denver, 65 miles to the southeast.


Haverstick said that crews have cut a containment line around 45 percent of the blaze. Nevertheless, swirling winds and temperatures in the mid-90s have created spot fires ahead of the main blaze, he said, complicating suppression efforts.


There are more than 700 dwellings within the overall fire zone. Several hundred residents remain under evacuation on Sunday, although some who lost their homes were allowed back to survey the damage, the Larimer County Sheriff's Office said.


Police and National Guard troops are providing security around the burn area in an effort to prevent looting, the Colorado National Guard said in a statement.


Authorities arrested a man early Sunday morning with "phony firefighter credentials" for felony theft and impersonating a fire official, police said.


Michael Stillman Maher, 30, was spotted driving a vehicle inside the restricted fire zone with stolen government license plates, the sheriff's office said in a statement.
Maher was later apprehended at a local bar. A search of his car recovered stolen items and a firearm, police said.


Meanwhile, another wildfire fire erupted Sunday afternoon in the Pike National Forest in south-central Colorado, said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Ralph Bellah.


The 200-acre (81 hectare) Springer Fire is growing quickly, forcing the mandatory evacuations of some 500 Boy Scouts camping in the area and several subdivisions, he said.


Hundreds of miles to the south in New Mexico, fire managers reported progress on a 60-square-mile wildfire burning in the Lincoln National Forest.


The Little Bear Fire has destroyed more than 220 homes and is now 60 percent contained, according to the federal fire incident command center.

[American Patriot]

Colorado wildfires destroy at least 181 homes, most in state’s history

Wildfires have burned about 86 square miles

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sunday, June 17, 2012, 2:51 PM


Marc Piscotty/Getty Images

A Sikorsky S-64 Aircrane firefighting helicopter drops water on a hotspot burning close to some homes near Horsetooth Reservoir.





DENVER — Crews in northern Colorado braced for powerful fire-fanning winds as they battle a blaze that has scorched about 85 square miles of mountainous forest land and destroyed at least 181 homes, the most in state history.


The destructiveness of the High Park Fire burning 15 miles west of Fort Collins surpassed the Fourmile Canyon wildfire, which destroyed 169 homes west of Boulder in September 2010.


More than 1,630 personnel worked on the fire Saturday, officials said in a late-night news release. That was an increase of more than 100 firefighters from a day earlier.


The lightning-caused blaze, which is believed to have killed a 62-year-old woman whose body was found in her cabin, was 45 percent contained, Cpl. Julie Berney of the Larimer County sheriff’s office said Sunday. The fire’s incident commander said full containment could be two to four weeks away.


Fire information officer Brett Haberstick said crews have made progress in containing a 200-acre spot fire that erupted Thursday afternoon north of the Cache La Poudre River, a critical line of defense against northward growth.


“Two 20-person hotshot crews worked throughout the day to secure lines around the perimeter of this spot fire,” the officials said in a release.
Marc Piscotty/Getty Images

Three fire protection vehicles stand watch over a subdivision near Horsetooth Reservoir.


Firefighters have extinguished other incursions north of the river, but the most recent one appeared to be more serious.


National Weather Service meteorologist Kyle Fredin said some rain was expected in the fire zone Saturday evening, but it will not be enough to put the fire out.


“We need a rain that will really last all day,” he said. “But it’s better than dry wind at this point.”


Crews faced difficult conditions Sunday with wind gusts expected to hit 50 mph along ridge tops and in Poudre Canyon and temperatures in the 90-degree range.


The fire was reported June 9 and has since raced through large swaths of private and U.S. Forest Service land. It was 45 percent contained late Saturday.


Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who oversees the Forest Service, met with fire managers in Fort Collins on Saturday and said “fighting this fire is going to require us to be aggressive, persistent and also patient.


“We’re going to continue to work to make our forests more resilient. We’re going to continue to ensure that adequate resources are provided for fighting fires and we are going to continue to make sure that we encourage appropriate stewardship of our forests,” he said.


Vilsack is scheduled to hold a news conference with U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell in Albuquerque on Sunday.


Meanwhile in New Mexico, questions were being raised about whether bureaucratic red tape prevented firefighters from saving more homes affected by the Little Bear Fire after federal officials released transcripts of the firefighters’ response.


Congressman Steve Pearce said Friday in an interview with KOB-TV that he believed federal officials could have done more after lightning sparked the fire outside the resort town of Ruidoso on June 4. Days later, high winds sent embers more than a mile from the blaze’s end, causing the inferno to grow.


But officials released transcripts of the response on the Lincoln National Forest website that suggested firefighters were attacking the blaze as soon as it was a quarter of an acre.


The fire has destroyed 242 homes and commercial structures. It had burned 59 square miles and was 60 percent contained as of Saturday night.


Parts of the area received up to three-quarters of an inch of rain Saturday, aiding the firefight but causing flash flood warnings as a result of burned over forest.



Lincoln County Emergency Services ordered an evacuation for residents in low-lying areas and around creeks or streams, but they were allowed to return home in the evening.


In Arizona, a blaze in the Tonto National Forest that doubled in size to 3,100 acres. Officials said Saturday night that the fire was 15 percent contained and firefighters continued to battle unseasonably dry fuels, high temperatures and low humidity.
On Friday, a crew member broke his leg fighting the blaze, which was burning in a remote, mountainous area about 70 miles northeast of Phoenix.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...#ixzz1y9FXiNve

[American Patriot]

Here's the one I am concerned about.

This is very near my old mountain property. Glad I sold that a long time ago!

Colorado's Springer fire erupts at Pike National Forest in Park County

By Yesenia Robles
The Denver Post
Posted: 06/17/2012 02:59:32 PM MDT
Updated: 06/17/2012 11:17:01 PM MDT


A wildfire is spreading quickly in Park County on the Pike National Forest, according to the U.S. Forest Service, just a few miles from where crews finished containing another fire this weekend.


The new fire, dubbed the Springer fire, has burned about 300 acres, up from about two to four acres estimated at 1 p.m. just after the fire was reported to the Pueblo Interagency Dispatch today.


Currently, the Eleven Mile Canyon has been evacuated and the area is closed.


New evacuation orders were issued after 6 p.m. for Wagon Tongue, Echo Valley Ranch, Circle C Ranch, Beaver Ranch, and County Road 98 and 403. In Teller County, evacuation orders also have been given to residents in Wilson Lakes, Forest Glenn and Bloom Mountain.


The Red Cross is setting up a shelter for evacuees at Summit Elementary in Divide.
Forest Service spokesman, Gregg Goodland, said he had no estimate yet on how many homes are in those areas.


Five engines, four "heavies," and five single-engine air tankers as well as several ground crews from multiple agencies are now working the fire.


Ralph Bellah said a type two team will likely take over command of fire operations Monday. He said a type three team also has been ordered, but said crews will come in from California and may take longer.


Bellah could not say if fire resources were thin or scarce as a result of the multiple wildfires.


"They get here when they can, whatever resouces are available," Bellah said.


Crews working on today's Springer fire, about 3 miles south of Lake George, can see the Arkansas fire nearby reported last week about two miles west of Lake George.


The Arkansas fire, started by lightning, has burned about 30 acres, and was contained over the weekend.

[American Patriot]

Wildfire burning near Elevenmile Canyon

Evacuations ordered

Marie Madden
POSTED: 02:11 PM MDT Jun 17, 2012 UPDATED: 12:16 AM MDT Jun 18, 2012

PARK COUNTY, Colo. -

The U.S. Forest Service says the Springer wildfire is burning about 5 miles southwest of Lake George near Elevenmile Canyon.


The fire was first reported at about 12 p.m. Sunday.



Strong winds were pushing it east toward Teller County.



Officials estimate 450 acres have burned, with no containment as of 9:30 p.m. Sunday.


The cause of the fire is not yet known.


Officials said four air tankers and three helicopters have been ordered to help in the firefight.



150 firefighters from as far away as Montana are battling the blaze, with more expected to arrive Monday.


Firefighters planned to focus on protecting homes and other structures threatened by the fire, and rest as much as possible overnight to prepare for continued red flag conditions in the area on Monday.


Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for people within a five-mile radius of the Wagon Tongue subdivision, including Wagon Tongue, Echo Valley, Circle C Ranch and Beaver.


Voluntary evacuations are in effect in Teller County for the Wilson Lakes, Forest Glen and Blue Mountain Subdivisions.


However, U.S. Forest Service officials said they are concerned about the area because the fire is headed east.


Camp Alexander, a boy scout camp, has also been evacuated.


The number of homes evacuated was unavailable as of Sunday night.


After initially announcing the Red Cross had set up an evacuation shelter at Summit Elementary School in Divide, officials later changed the location to Woodland Park High School.



Evacuees with large animals can take those animals to the fairgrounds in Cripple Creek. Small animals can be taken to the Teller County Animal Shelter in Divide.


This is the second wildfire near Lake George in less than a week.



Firefighters previously battled the 30-acre Arkansas Fire, which was ignited by lightning on Wednesday night.



Authorities said having resources still in the area gave them a good head start on the Springer Fire.

[Malsua]

What is burning here? All the pictures seem to show sporadic trees with the rest being scrub and grasses.

[American Patriot]

STAGE I FIRE BAN IN EFFECT

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Posting Time: 6/18/2012 8:45:00 AM Heading: Springer Fire Update Description: Fire location in Park County. Fire size is approximately 400 acres. Fire is being held at 11 Mile Canyon. Crews will be working the east side of the canyon. Full Description: Fire location in Park County. Fire size is approximately 400 acres. Fire is being held at 11 Mile Canyon. Crews will be working the east side of the canyon. Standby evacuations still in effect for Sanborn Ranch, Wilson Lakes Estates, Forest Glenn Sports Association, Blue Mountain Estates. The Mandatory evacuations have been downgraded to Standby evacuations. NOTICE OF ADVISORY: Residents in West Florissant Heights, Indian Creek, Valley High Subdivisions and areas west of Wildhorn Rd and CR 31 need to prepare for possible Pre-Evacuation Notice. Winds are moving SW to NE at this time. Primary evacuation shelter is Summit Elementary in Divide. Secondary evacuation shelter is at the Woodland Park High School.

Posting Time: 6/17/2012 10:40:00 PM Heading: Springer Fire Update Description: Fire continues to burn uncontained. Federal Type II Incident Command en route to scene. Teller County Incident Management Team still activated. Teller County Fire Resources and Sheriff's Department personnel will continue to patrol Subdivisions and monitor the fire through the night. Full Description: FIRE UPDATE: Teller County Incident Management Team still activated. Teller County Fire Resources and Sheriff's Department personnel will continue to patrol Subdivisions and monitor the fire through the night. EVACUATION STATUS: Teller County residents can return to their homes if they had left earlier today. Residents can also stay at the Evacuation Center at Woodland Park High School. Fire conditions may change and evacuations may be reinstated. NEXT UPDATE WILL BE 6-18-2012 BY 9:00AM.

Posting Time: 6/17/2012 5:40:00 PM Heading: Springer Fire (Park County) Description: Mandatory Evacuation Orders have been dropped to Standby evacuations for Wilson Lakes Estates, Forest Glenn Sports Association, Blue Mountain Estates. Two spot fires that jumped the river have been put out. Full Description: Fire fighters have put out the spot fires that jumped the Platte River. Mandatory Evacuation Orders have been dropped to Standby evacuations for Wilson Lakes Estates, Forest Glenn Sports Association, Blue Mountain Estates. Summit Elementary in Divide is the primary evacuation site. Woodland Park is the secondary evacuation site. The Teller County Fairgrounds is open for Large animals.

Posting Time: 6/17/2012 5:00:00 PM Heading: Springer Fire Description: Mandantory evacuation have gone out for Wilson Lakes Estates, Forest Glenn Sports Association, and Blue Mountain Estates. Full Description: The fire has crossed the Platte River. Mandantory evacuations have gone out for Wilson Lakes Estates, Forest Glenn Sports Association, and Blue Mountain Estates. Summit Elementary School in Divide is the primary evacuation shelter. The Teller County fair grounds is open for large animals.

Posting Time: 6/17/2012 4:00:00 PM Heading: Springer Fire Description: The Springer fire is currently 200 acres approximately 5 miles west of Teller Park Line in the Eleven Mile Canyon Area Full Description: The Springer Fire is 200 acres aproximately 5 miles west of Teller Park County Line in the Eleven Mile Canyon Area . The fire is moving east. USFS BLM Park County and Teller County resources are on scene. Standby evacuation orders are in effect for Wilson Lakes Estates, Forest Glen Sports Assoc. and Blue Mtn. Estates Sanborn Ranch has voluntarily evacuated. Teller County fairgrounds are open for animal evacuations. Summit Elementary School in Divide is open for evacuated parties

Posting Time: 6/17/2012 2:20:00 PM Heading: Wilson Lakes & Forest Glen Prepare for Possible Evacuations Description: Wilson Lakes & Forest Glen subdivisions in Teller County should be on alert for possible evacuation due to fire in Lake George. NO mandatory evac at this time Full Description:

Posting Time: 6/17/2012 1:30:00 PM Heading: Wildland Fire in Park County Description: Park County has a wildland fire 2 miles north of 11 Mile Reservoir. Smoke is visible in Teller County. Full Description:

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Teller County Incident Report

1. Incident Name: Springer Fire 2. Report Date/Time: 6/18/2012 8:15:00 AM 3. Location: The fire started 5 Miles west of Park - Teller County Line west of the Platte River 4. Event Start Date/Time: 6/17/2012 12:00:00 AM 5. Fuel Types/Behavior: 6. Weather Temperature: 76-91 Humidity: 5-8% Wind: 10-25mph 7. Agencies Involved/Resources Committed: USFS, BLM Park County and Teller County resources 8. Deaths or Injuries: none 9. Damage: n/a 10. Evacuation Status/# of People: Standby evacuations for Sanborn Ranch, Wilson Lakes Estates, Forest Glenn Sports Association, Blue Mountain Estates. The Mandatory evacuations have been downgraded to Standby evacuations. Primary evacuation shelter is Summit Elementary in Divide. Secondary evacuation shelter is at the Woodland Park High School. 11. Current Situation: Fire size is approximately 400 acres. Fire is being held at 11 Mile Canyon. Crews will be working the east side of the canyon. 12. Incident Objectives: 1. First Responder Health and Safety. 2. Monitor Fire Behavior 3. Protection of structures and subdivision patrol. 4. Assist as required Lake George Incident Command 5. Maintain Citizen Evacuation Shelters 13. Potential Future threats: NOTICE OF ADVISORY: Residents in West Florissant Heights, Indian Creek, Valley High Subdivisions and areas west of Wildhorn Rd and CR 31 need to prepare for possible Pre-Evacuation Notice. Winds are moving SW to NE at this time. 14. Incident Command Jurisdiction/Location: 15. Incident Commander (name): Mike Ensminger 16. Emergency Operation Center (EOC) Location: 17. Additional Notes:

[American Patriot]

Here's a map. This one is 400 acres. They got the one at Lake George under control. The one up north (High Park Fire) is 50,000 acres from what I am hearing now.

http://www.co.teller.co.us/OEM/EmergencyInfo.aspx

[Luke]

Wildfires are nothing to take lightly. I am thinking good thoughts for all you Coloridians. Take care you guys.

[American Patriot]

Oh, I'm safe where I am located. I don't think the fires will come here, but who knows?

We don't yet know how they started. There were no storms, and lightning isn't likely at this point. We will see what investigators say.

[American Patriot]

weird....

Fireball, possible meteor grounds tankers fighting Springer fire


June 20, 2012 4:00 PM
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JAKOB RODGERS
THE GAZETTE
An apparent meteor grounded heavy air tankers fighting the Springer fire near Lake George for nearly two hours Wednesday afternoon, leaving firefighters without air support.
But the fiery phenomenon left people from as far away as New Mexico in awe.
The planes were near Lake George when a pilot noticed debris falling from the sky, said Ron Roth, spokesman for the Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center. The pilots were not sure whether it was “space junk” or a meteor, Roth said.
“We’re just glad it quit,” Roth said. “A rather odd phenomenon.”
Several other reports pointed to a rare, once-in-a-lifetime sighting.
Six reports of a meteor — seen from Winter Park, Colorado Springs and Raton, N.M. — were received by Chris Peterson, a research assistant with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. The American Meteor Society received seven separate reports, mostly from Colorado Springs.
“These things happen all the time, but usually they just aren't seen during the day,” Peterson said.
It likely wasn't one of the more than 22,000 pieces of "space junk" floating around the earth.
Officials at the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which tracks man-made objects that threaten North America, did not report any scheduled entries or objects over North America, said Lt. Col. Mike Humphreys, a spokesman.
The Joint Space Operations Center with U.S. Strategic Command did not track any man-made objects over Colorado, said Rodney Ellison, a spokesman for the agency.
Relying only on witness reports — Peterson turns off his skyward cameras during the day — Peterson estimated the meteor likely screamed across the atmosphere somewhere above Limon.
It could be seen for about three seconds, Peterson said, as it likely hurled anywhere from seven to 44 miles per second as it fell toward earth. Since it was visible during the day, the meteor likely was at least the size of a softball.
Where it landed — or if it even reached the ground — remained anyone's guess Wednesday afternoon as the fire-fighting air tankers returned to the sky.
Greg Heule, a spokesman for crews fighting the Springer fire near Lake George, said the tankers were struck by debris in the air.
Peterson, though, said he couldn’t recall a plane ever being hit by a meteor.
“I would say it’s really, really unlikely,” Peterson said. “It’s more likely that the plane was hit by flying pine cone ashes than a meteor.”
“Realistically, there’s an awful lot of earth and not a lot of rocks falling from the sky.”
A good indication that a meteor fell nearby is the sonic boom that usually happens when a meteor falls to within 30 miles of the ground. At that point, the atmosphere is dense enough to cause the sound, as well as to make the meteor fall vertically.
Though the fireball may have seemed close, don't bet on finding any pieces of space rock anytime soon, Peterson said.
"It easily could have burned up,” he said.
---
Reporter Ryan Maye Handy contributed to this report.

[American Patriot]

My wife and I went to Cripple Creek yesterday with the people from her work. At about 1 pm rumors started flying about closing Hwy 24 which runs westward from the Springs through the mountains.

Suddenly I started getting text messages from family members telling us something similar.

A fire was SET in a place called Waldo Canyon. I spoke to the fire fighters and police that were at the festival (They call it Donkey Derby Days, and is a 100 yr tradition in the mining and gambling town)..

I was advised (because I introduced myself as a ham radio operator without his radio today... lol) that the fire was likely human-caused (set by someone) and the area of woodland park and west has had over twenty small fires set by an arsonist since this past monday. I didn't know this.

Someone is trying to kill a lot of people.

At this time I can see the smoke from the fires - it's about 8 miles as the crow flies from me. We came through the pass last night on the bus (24 wasn't closed yet!) and the fire was 100 acres when it was "discovered".

In an hour it was nearly a thousand acres and by the time I got home last night it was about 2000 acres. Fires "Lay Down" at night because cool air presses down on it and tends to smother it some.

Today is going to be 98 degrees, 9% humidity, no rain and the winds are to pick up to as much as 35 mph this afternoon.

They have evacuated several thousand homes on the ridgeline across the way and the fire is climbing the back side of the last ridge before Garden of the Gods Park (I can see this ALL from my house).

Smoke is thick in the area, and thousands have already been evacuated.

We don't expect the fire to get to the city proper, but everyone is preparing in case we have a fire storm. (A fire storm is when the hot ash falls everywhere igniting lots of areas distant from the fire, and sets houses and everything else on fire).

I'm prepared to stay as long as I can remain safely to fight fires in the neighborhood. We have the family organized (at least notified to organize) with what to prepare, and what to take (minimum stuff) and we're trying to determine a rally point for the family at this time.

I have roughly 600 gallons of water. 150 fresh and about 400 in the hot tub that can be pumped out to be used. If it gets bad this evening, I'll shut down most of the power, the gas and everything in the house and go on emergency power (batteries charged from solar panels).

After that, if the city starts burning we will head to the east some place to get out of the smoke and fire as long as we can.

I hope the cops catch these fucking terrorists, because if they don't the people of this area will and they will kill him.

No HOMES have burned as of two hours ago, no injuries that we're aware of. All the television and radio stations locally are covering this thing.

I'll up load some shots I took a bit ago.

[American Patriot]

Colorado Springs.
Garden of the Gods - taken from my bedroom window. This is about 4.5 miles straight line distance from my house looking west.

[American Patriot]

Garden of the Gods to the left, the leading edge of one of the fire "fingers" moving out away from Waldo Canyon is to the right.