This is getting real now..massive fire might take out South Fork, CO

[likesmountains 52]

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2013/06/21/town-of-south-fork-evacuated-could-be-lost/

I don't know how they are going to keep up with all of the fires in the west this summer.

[Jarla]

1. That's really sad

Do you live in an area that's at risk?

[likesmountains 52]

3. No, I'm 100 miles away. I just know this town well and would hate to see it disappear.

[Jarla]

7. Oops, sorry. Replied to myself by accident.

[DevonRex]

27. It's one of my favorites along one of my favorite drives.

Denver through Wolf Creek and Pagosa and Durango and Mesa Verde and Telluride and back through Gunnison.

[Jarla]

5. I understand. It sounds like a cute little town.

[msongs]

2. don't forests need fire to clear waste and regenerate? nt

[likesmountains 52]

4. Yes, just hate that this town might get burned off the map. nt

[OldHippieChick]

6. Yes, but people are building enormous

luxury homes smack dab in the middle of the forest and not clearing the brush and trees nearest their houses. Not only are they being irresponsible, but it appears some of these fires are human-caused. Then all of our insurance rates go up to pay for their stupidity, not to mention the loss of some forest that didn't need clearing.

[likesmountains 52]

8. This is not a case of luxury homes in the middle of the forest.

I know what you're saying, but in this case it's a wildfire caused by lightning, heading for a town that (while there are a few luxury homes around there) is basically a bunch of older buildings and very modest homes. Have you been through there?

[pasto76]

11. is this a beetle kill area

or is that one of the _other_ fires going right now

MAFF and DC10 were flying over pueblo today en route, presumably to this fire.

[likesmountains 52]

13. Yes, an awful lot of standing dead trees.

[OldHippieChick]

25. Sorry, I was not speaking specifically to the South Fork

fire, but responding to the query above. Yes, this particular one may have been caused by lightening, but the overall invasion of the forest by man is contributing to other fires and endangering all of us.

[name not needed]

12. So now they deserve to lose everything?

[likesmountains 52]

14. +1

[OldHippieChick]

26. Didn't say that. Don't put words in my online mouth.

Merely saying that people need to be aware of their surroundings and take responsible action, rather than assuming they are "entitled" to live where they want w/out any awareness of their impact on the environment.

[NickB79]

24. Yes, but we've denied the forests these vital fires for a century

Fucking Smoky the Bear and all that. And in that time, massive amounts of dead fuel have built up, to the point that instead of a low-intensity ground fire, we see crown fires killing off trees that would normally survive the natural fires they evolved with for millions of years. Let the fires go, and you unleash a mega-fire unlike anything this ecosystem has encountered before. However, we are fighting a losing battle to stop the fires from happening, as more and more brush and branches build up every year. Ultimately, Nature WILL have Her way, and the forests will burn.

So, we have no real good options, because the entire system is so far out of whack thanks to our meddling.

[bvar22]

9. My heart goes out to those in South Fork, CO.

I hope no harm comes to them.

This is an especially beautiful area, non-pretentious.
We used to over-night in South Fork on the Sante Fe to Boulder run,
but that was many years ago.

Fire could take the plastic Theme Park Towns like Vail or Breckenridge ,
and America would be a better place (AFIC),
but South Fork was unspoiled as I remember it.

Good Luck to you all.
Climate Change is going to be especially hard on these already dry, fire prone areas of The West.

[likesmountains 52]

10. Thank you!

[bvar22]

15. Stay safe.

I re-read my gratuitous slam against Vail and Breckenridge,
and probably should edit it out.
I really don't want any harm to come to the beautiful state of Colorado,
or anybody that lives there.

..but I left it up because I personally can't stand those places.

[likesmountains 52]

17. Breck was a cool place in the 70's. Vail was always a contrived, made up place.

[kentuck]

41. Another photo from South Fork area...

[bluedigger]

16. We can see the smoke from Cortez.

That's got to be like 150 miles away.

[likesmountains 52]

18. I could see it last evening on the way home from work, but not tonight in downtown Durango.

The pics are amazing..horrible, but amazing.

[bluedigger]

19. You must be getting masked by the mountains.

I took this two nights ago, and tonight there was a much larger plume visible a little further north.

[likesmountains 52]

20. Wow, I am just low enough that I don't see that.

Thanks for the pic. If you didn't know better that might look like it's just a big cloud.

[bluedigger]

21. Yeah, that's what we wondered the other day.

Except there wasn't a cloud in the sky. There were a lot of clouds over the mountains this afternoon, but the plume was about three times the size of this shot, extended all the way down to the horizon, and looked a lot more roiled. I didn't have my camera with me, but it was massive.

[DevonRex]

28. I've been to Cortez many times. For work

back when I was a Fed. Going again on the way to see Hovenweep this summer sometime. Then Telluride again.

[bluedigger]

30. I might go out to Hovenweep this weekend.

Lived here two years and haven't been out there yet. Also might try to get into Telluride (the hard way) this month.

[DevonRex]

31. The climbing hard way or the off-road

hard way? Either way is a helluva lot more fun than the traffic the "easy" way. Have fun when you get there!!
?t=1241889526

[bluedigger]

32. The off road way, lol.

This is the road I want to do - Black Bear Pass - took this coming down into Telluride from Imogene Pass last summer. Too old to hike those mountains.

[likesmountains 52]

36. Good luck! I could only imagine Black Bear Pass on my own two feet!

[bluedigger]

39. Oh come on now.

Nobody has died for... several years now. I can pm you and pick you up if you want to come along. The dog is a lousy spotter anyways.

[likesmountains 52]

42. Thanks, but I really don't think I could stay in the jeep!

[kentuck]

22. The smoke has surrounded Pikes Peak again this evening...

No rain in the forecast for the next week with temperatures in the 90's...

Here was a late sunset night before last...

[likesmountains 52]

23. Wow, is the smoke from the fire near Conifer?

[William Seger]

37. No, it's from the "West Fork Complex" fire

... which includes the Windy Pass fire that's threatening South Fork. It's 200 miles away from Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak, but the smoke has completely engulfed the Peak for most of the last two days.

[likesmountains 52]

38. Wow, that's amazing. I'm in Durango and no smoke here.

[William Seger]

40. Animated satellite image

[madamesilverspurs]

29. It's ghastly.

Colorado is my home, I was born here, as were my siblings. Childhood summers were spent in the mountains. These days I live on the northeast plains, but too often we can see and smell the smoke. Last summer I was sending constant updates to family across the country. Now I've sent them links to television stations where they can keep current. It's just too heartbreaking. I can't send any more updates. I just can't.

[William Seger]

33. "Wind shift offers hope to save South Fork from fire"

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_23510002/town-south-fork-ordered-evacuate-because-wildfire

SOUTH FORK — For most of Friday, only fire crews were left inside the evacuated town of South Fork, fighting a blaze that threatened to destroy the entire community.

But as the sun set, hopes rose that shifting winds and firefighters' efforts had saved the town — at least for now.

The West Fork Complex, a combination of three wildfires — West Fork, Windy Pass and Papoose — continued to spread in steep, rugged terrain through beetle-killed spruce on the west side of Wolf Creek Pass in southwestern Colorado.
...

Cloud cover and shifting winds late Friday afternoon gave crews hope the fire would not reach the town, said Bruce Palmer, spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service.

[likesmountains 52]

34. A bit of good news!

[kentuck]

35. The Telluride Bluegrass Festival (Live)

http://www.bluegrass.com/telluride/lineup.html

(click on listen button)