The East Troublesome Fire in Grand County, Colorado has grown to roughly 125,600 acres as of Thursday, extending into Rocky Mountain National Park and forcing hundreds of people to evacuate, per the Washington Post.
Why it matters: After expanding sixfold over a 24-hour stretch, East Troublesome is now the fourth-largest wildfire in state history and is expected to worsen due to a severe drought and record heat. This is all happening while the new record-holder for largest wildfire in the state, the Cameron Peak Fire, continues to burn in the Fort Collins area.
The state of play: Three of the four biggest fires in Colorado history Cameron Peak, Pine Gulch and East Troublesome have occurred in 2020. “The blazes have burned the second-most acreage since 2000,” AP writes.
- The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office notified people midday Thursday in parts of the town of Estes Park to flee their homes and businesses due to the East Troublesome Fire, Weather.com notes.
- A red flag warning for critical fire risk remains in effect through 7 p.m. local time, with wind gusts expected up to 50 miles per hour.
- The National Weather Service Doppler radar depicted a smoke plume towering close to 40,000 feet overhead, which is atypical given Colorado’s elevation and cooler average temperatures for this time of year. Thats pretty rare just in the summer for 8,500 feet, let alone late October, said Nick Nauslar, a predictive-services meteorologist with the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.
- Satellite imagery shows the fire has crossed the continental divide in Rocky Mountain National Park, which may put downwind areas to the east at increased risk.
What they’re saying: Colorado’s climate conditions have created the perfect storm for the fire to move and expand quickly. Authorities speculate the East Troublesome Fire could merge with the Cameron Peak Fire, according to the Washington Post.
- We anticipate another day of large fire growth, said Noel Livingston, leader of the fire stabilization efforts, during a press conference Thursday.
Ive used the word unprecedented before and Im starting to run out of adjectives to describe whats happening this fire season.”
Nick Nauslar
- Nauslar pointed out that the fire spread rapidly in part because thick bands of trees were weakened or killed by beetle invasions linked to climate change.
Some of the fires burning across the state are believed to be human caused, while others remain under investigation, Gov. Jared Polis said at a Thursday press conference.