Pine Gulch Fire now the second-largest fire in Colorado history

According to the Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center, the Pine Gulch Fire grew more than 37,000 acres Tuesday night and continued to grow throughout the day Wednesday. At 125,252 acres, it is now the second-largest fire in Colorado history.

Right now, there are four major fires crews are facing in the state:

The Pine Gulch Fire has grown larger than the Spring Creek Fire, which burned in southern Colorado down around La Veta Pass. That fire had been the second-largest in our history at 108,045 acres.

According to the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team, firefighting efforts are going well on the north and east sides of the fire. A thunderstorm overnight caused strong storm outflow, or strong winds, to surge into the fire expand it westward.

Hours of lightning and thunder were produced from the massive blaze. Under the right circumstances, a large fire can form a pyrocumulus cloud which can occasionally generate lightning and thunder. This is often seen in large volcanic eruptions.

Three other large fires, the Grizzly Creek, Cameron Peak, and Williams Fork continue to burn and grow, but at a much slower rate.

KOAA