COLORADO — Over the past decade wildfires have been a prominent part of news in Southern Colorado.
Heading into 2020, a new year and a new decade, there are some policy makers who say it is worth noting because they see it as a trend that will continue.
In 2012, when the Waldo Canyon Fire blew into Colorado Springs, it was considered a wildfire disaster like no other in Colorado. It killed two people and burned nearly 350 homes.
But, just a year later as another wildfire burned through the Royal Gorge and Bridge park in Fremont County, yet another wildfire blew out of control in the Black Forest areas of El Paso County. It ended as Colorado's most destructive fire with two people dead and nearly 500 homes burned.
Also, in the decade, the West Fork fire near Wolf Creek pass grew to over 110,000 acres. It is the second largest fire by area in Colorado history. 16,500 acres burned during the Hayden Pass fire.
The Junkins fire at the edge of Pueblo and Fremont counties torched nearly 19,000 acres.
The Spring Fire on the west side of Huerfano county took over the number three spot of largest fires in Colorado during the summer of 2018. It topped 108,000 acres and 140 homes were lost.
