The Estes Valley Voice editorial cartoonist Dick Mulhern presented a framed print of his cartoon about the Estes Valley firefighters to Interim Chief Paul Capo Monday afternoon at the Dannels Fire Station.
Last week was a challenging week for firefighters in and around the Estes Valley as fires broke out Monday just above the Big Thompson Canyon on Alexander Mountain and then above Lyons in Stone Canyon.
Mulhern wanted to honor the members of the Estes Valley Fire Protection District for their work providing mutual aid to the firefighters who battled the Alexander Mountain Fire.
In addition to the work they provided in the Alexander Mountain Fire, the EVFPD also battled a blaze Thursday at structure fire at Ponderosa Lodge on Fall River Road.
The two wildfires all began within three days of each other. The Alexander Mountain Fire began July 29 and burned 9,668 acres or 15 square miles, destroying 26 homes and 21 outbuildings. As of Tuesday night, the fire was 83% contained.
The Southwest Incident Management Team 1, which is part of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group and is comprised of members from local, state, and federal organizations, took operational command of the fire August 1. They will transfer command back to the U.S. Forest Service and Larimer County Sheriff’s Office Friday morning.
The Stone Canyon Fire in Boulder County began July 30 and burned 1,557 acres or 2.4 square miles, destroying five homes. A body was found in a home burned in the fire and four firefighters suffered injuries. The fire was fully contained Sunday evening.
Another wildfire started July 31 near the Lake Shore Park neighborhood, northeast of Gross Reservoir also in Boulder County. The Lake Shore Fire burned 7 acres and destroyed one home.
Firefighters in Colorado also have been fighting the Quarry Fire south of Evergreen and west of Littleton in Jefferson Fire which began July 30 and has burned 578 acres.
More than 10 other wildfires are burning at this time in Colorado including the Bucktail Fire in Montrose County near Nucla in the southwest area of the state. The fire started Aug. 1 and has burned 3,738 acres or five.8 square miles.
With management of the Alexander Mountain Fire close at hand and evacuation orders being lifted, residents are slowly being allowed to return to areas with proper credentialling. Authorities are now watching the weather for heavy rains that could pose flooding threats to nearby areas that have burns scars from the Cameron Peak Fire which burned from Aug. 13 to Dec. 2, 2020 and consumed 208,663 acres.
Click here for a directory of emergency resources that Estes Valley residents can refer to for information.