Latest news with #CameronPeakFire
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Lee Fire now among largest in Colorado history: How it compares
DENVER (KDVR) — The Lee Fire burning on Colorado's Western Slope is officially one of the largest that the state has ever seen. According to the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, four out of the five largest wildfires in Colorado history have occurred in the last five years. Colorado Wildfire Map One of them is currently burning and could climb higher up the rankings. No. 1: Cameron Peak Fire: 208,913 acres The largest wildfire in Colorado history, the Cameron Peak Fire, burned 208,913 acres in the wilderness west of Fort Collins for 112 days in 2020. It started on Aug. 13 and ballooned past 158,000 acres on Oct. 14, making it the largest in state history. Multiple fires that year remain at the top of the largest in Colorado history. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox No. 2: East Troublesome Fire: 193,812 acres in 2020 Not far from the Cameron Peak Fire, the East Troublesome Fire ignited on Oct. 14, 2020, and burned 193,812 acres by the time it was contained on Dec. 2. This fire was the third most destructive when it comes to damage, with a total of 366 homes destroyed. No. 3: Pine Gulch Fire: 139,007 acres Also in 2020, the Pine Gulch Fire that burned in Mesa and Garfield Counties started on July 31 after a lightning strike. By the time it was contained on Sept. 23, the blaze had destroyed 139,007 acres of land. No. 4: Hayman Fire: 137,760 acres The Hayman Fire in 2002 was the largest in Colorado's history up until 2020, burning a total of 139,007 acres of forest land southwest of Denver. The fire burned for six weeks and destroyed 133 homes and impacted the local ecosystem that supported 80% of the potable water supply used by residents along the Front Range. Free on Your TV • New FOX31+ App for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV No. 5: Lee Fire: 116,859 acres The Lee Fire is among multiple fires currently burning on the Western Slope, for which Gov. Jared Polis has declared disaster emergencies. Located in Rio Blanco County near Meeker, the fire grew dramatically since last week and has taken its place as the fifth-largest wildfire in Colorado history. According to the last update as of Tuesday morning, the fire has burned 116,859 acres and is 6% contained. The fire is about 21,000 acres smaller than the Hayman Fire. Between the Lee Fire and the nearby Elk Fire, there are over 1,000 firefighters working to stop the blazes. The Lee Fire surpassed what is now the sixth-largest fire in Colorado history, the Spring Fire, which burned 108,045 acres in Southern Colorado in 2018. It burned for multiple weeks and destroyed at least 145 homes. Crews are still working to contain the Lee Fire and FOX31 will continue to provide the latest updates as they become available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Wildfires change how people perceive beloved places: Study
The devastation wrought by wildfires, such as the recent blazes in Los Angeles, may extend beyond physical and financial loss by disrupting people's sense of attachment to their communities, a new study has found. 'Wildfires, like the ones currently affecting LA, profoundly reshape people's connections to their environment,' co-author Anne Mook, a social scientist at Colorado State University, said in a statement. Mook drew this conclusion from research she and a colleague conducted following the Cameron Peak Fire that ravaged a portion of northern Colorado in 2020 and became the largest wildfire in the state's history. She and Pilar Morales-Giner, of Spain's University of Granada, conducted 34 interviews with residents, local leaders and activists, to discern their perceptions of ecological and population shifts, as well as the meanings they assigned to their sense of place. They published their findings this month in the Environment and Behavior journal. 'We found that wildfires impact place attachment in two major ways: emotional loss and practical challenges,' Mook stated. During the interviews, the researchers found that many residents described feelings of what is known as 'solastalgia,' or distress caused by environmental change. Contrary to nostalgia, which involves melancholy or homesickness when an individual is separated from their home, solastalgia involves global-scale environmental disruptions to 'sense of place' and identity, as a previous study described it. 'One participant said, 'Driving through the burned areas is heartbreaking; it just hurts so much to see it like that,'' Mook said. Among the negative impacts of solastalgia, the researchers found, was isolation, effects on mental health, loss of community members and the growth of intergenerational differences. As far as practical difficulties were concerned, Morales-Giner identified a strong connection between wildfires and the functional side of attachment to a place. As such, she stressed the critical nature of building community awareness when it comes to water scarcity, wildfire risks and related access challenges. 'These are all crucial to help communities mitigate and adapt to disasters,' Morales-Giner added. Effective responses to environmental threats, the researchers explained, requires 'acknowledging their connection to changing local realities.' But recognizing that link can spur residents into engaging in meaningful adaptation and mitigation efforts, according to the study. As disruptions cause people to change their perceptions about their environment, they also may be able to view their communities not just as safe havens, but also as sites of resilience, the authors explained. 'It's really about reimagining some of those connections to the places that we call home,' Mook said. 'If we better understand place attachment and address climate change and improve forest management, we can hopefully help communities adapt to wildfires.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
30-01-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Wildfires change how people perceive beloved places: Study
The devastation wrought by wildfires, such as the recent blazes in Los Angeles, may extend beyond physical and financial loss, by disrupting people's sense of attachment to their communities, a new study has found. 'Wildfires, like the ones currently affecting LA, profoundly reshape people's connections to their environment,' co-author Anne Mook, a social scientist at Colorado State University, said in a statement. Mook drew this conclusion from research she and a colleague conducted following the Cameron Peak Fire that ravaged a portion of northern Colorado in 2020 and became the largest wildfire in the state's history. She and Pilar Morales-Giner, of Spain's University of Granada, conducted 34 interviews with residents, local leaders and activists, to discern their perceptions of ecological and population shifts, as well as the meanings they assigned to their sense of place. They published their findings this month in the Environment and Behavior journal. 'We found that wildfires impact place attachment in two major ways: emotional loss and practical challenges,' Mook stated. During the interviews, the researchers found that many residents described feelings of what is known as 'solastalgia,' or distress caused by environmental change. Contrary to nostalgia, which involves melancholy or homesickness when an individual is separated from their home, solastalgia involves global-scale environmental disruptions to 'sense of place' and identity, as a previous study described it. 'One participant said, 'Driving through the burned areas is heartbreaking; it just hurts so much to see it like that,'' Mook said. Among the negative impacts of solastalgia, the researchers found, was isolation, effects on mental health, loss of community members and the growth of intergenerational differences. As far as practical difficulties were concerned, Morales-Giner identified a strong connection between wildfires and the functional side of attachment to a place. As such, she stressed the critical nature of building community awareness when it comes to water scarcity, wildfire risks and related access challenges. 'These are all crucial to help communities mitigate and adapt to disasters,' Morales-Giner added. Effective responses to environmental threats, the researchers explained, requires 'acknowledging their connection to changing local realities.' But recognizing that link can spur residents into engaging in meaningful adaptation and mitigation efforts, according to the study. As disruptions cause people to change their perceptions about their environment, they also may be able to view their communities not just as safe havens, but also as sites of resilience, the authors explained. 'It's really about reimagining some of those connections to the places that we call home,' Mook said. 'If we better understand place attachment and address climate change and improve forest management, we can hopefully help communities adapt to wildfires.'
