FORT COLLINS, Colo. (KKTV) - A wildfire raging west of Fort Collins exploded in size Monday, gaining tens of thousands of acres within 12 hours and blanketing the Front Range with thick smoke.
The Cameron Peak Fire ignited Aug. 13, one of four major wildfires burning across Colorado since the end of July. While firefighters have made significant gains on the Pine Gulch and Grizzly Creek fires in western Colorado, bringing them to 87 and 83 percent containment respectively, the Cameron Peak Fire remains just 4 percent contained. As of Monday evening, it has burned 96,402 acres and is the fourth-largest wildfire in state history, and second in size only to the Pine Gulch Fire for wildfires currently burning in Colorado.
A map of current evacuations can be viewed by clicking here.
The explosive growth started over the weekend, with record-breaking heat and dry conditions providing the perfect fuel for the nearly month-old fire. Starting the weekend at 26,000 acres, it had grown to just under 60,000 acres by Monday morning. As the fire blow up, ash began raining down across parts of northern Colorado.
The most recent map as of early morning Tuesday can be seen below (to zoom in, click here):
The wildfire shut down Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park Sunday due to heavy smoke and limited visibility. The fire continues to spread into the park, officials said Monday.
“The finger of the fire that has moved into Rocky Mountain National Park continued southeast as it progressed into the Cascade, Mummy and Hague Creek drainages,” an incident commander wrote on the official Facebook page.
The National Weather Service out of Boulder reported a smoke plume up to 35,000 feet at one point Saturday as the fire ballooned in size.
According to the Fort Collins Coloradan, residents of Fort Collins complained of ash in their neighborhoods Saturday. The Coloradan says there were also reports of ash falling in Greeley and as far south as the Denver metro.
The cause of the fire is under investigation but suspected to be human-caused.
Fire behavior is expected to decrease the first half of this week due to a rare summer snowstorm arriving in the state. Fire officials said on the official fire website that 6-12 inches were expected to fall on the fire.
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Cameron Peak Fire explodes in size, now 96,000+ acres and 4th-largest in state history - KKTV
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