Today, Colorado is still coming to terms with the catastrophic Lee fire, which started from a lightning strike on August 2nd. By Monday morning, the blaze had scorched over 130,000 acres (52,000 hectares) and was just 7% contained. As the fire is about 250 miles (400 km) from Meeker, an evacuation assistance center was set up. It has quickly become the fifth largest single fire in the history of the state.
The fire has destroyed the irreplaceable land. Tragically, it has killed or seriously injured emergency responders. So far, three firefighters have been injured while fighting the fire. A New Jersey battalion chief remains seriously injured after his pickup truck overturned in very steep terrain while conducting fire operations.
Given the rapidly increasing circumstances, evacuations are already in progress for mountain communities throughout Garfield and Rio Blanco counties. In September, officials evacuated the Rifle Correctional Center out of what they called an abundance of caution. The fire’s proximity and intensity made for multiple threats to safety. Colorado Governor Jared Polis has issued an acute disaster emergency. This move is intended to bolster response efforts, including for the new Oak fire that has developed in the area.
With the Lee fire burning out of control, California is not the only state dealing with extreme wildfire disasters. California is facing their own version of the Gifford fire. Since it started on August 1, the fire has burned more than 120,000 acres in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. At the same time, that Canyon fire has forced evacuations and burned seven structures. It’s now 33% contained.
Those concerning trends in wildfires aren’t confined to Colorado or California. It’s Fire Season Canada is currently experiencing its second-worst fire season on record. More than 18 million acres, or 7.3 million hectares, have burned across the country — an increase of a mind-numbing 78% from the five-year average.
Experts are cautioning that these extreme fire seasons are the new normal, a symptom of a larger climatic change. Mike Flannigan, the BC research chair for predictive services, emergency management, and fire science at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, stated:
“This is our new reality … the warmer it gets, the more fires we see.”
The ongoing situations in Colorado and beyond underscore the urgent need for comprehensive strategies to manage and mitigate wildfire risks in an increasingly volatile climate.