Western co fires

It’s bad. The Grizzly Creek Fire is up to 15,000 acres and Pine Gulch is at 74,000 acres and is already the 5th largest in Colorado history.
 
Don't worry fellas, the Cameron peak fire just said "hold my beer!" With the amount of beetle kill in this area, she's record bound! Here it is at 3 in the afternoon yesterday. It's hot and breezy currently and it's blowing up. We were told to evacuate last night and we were 7 or 8 miles away.

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High temps and no significant rain in the forecast the rest of the month, will make getting a handle on this one, near impossible. Over 2,000 acres as of 8am today.
 
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DW, I concur with you 100%. Due to the terrain, high winds, temps in combo with dry undergrowth and the massive amount of fuel of beetle kill its gonna be ugly. This has a lot of potential to be the states biggest on record unless we get a lot of rain and it burns back on its self. It has been bound to happen sooner or later. I don't see it getting put out until mother nature starts dumping a lot of snow.

I hope I'm wrong
 
The Cameron Peak fire looks devastating from Laramie, hoping the wind doesn't shift from the south today.
 
Weather forecast ain't looking to be helpful either none to soon. Any reports on how hot the fire is? Is it scorching the soil?
 


Now it's hopped to the south side of highway 14, into unit 19. Crossed near Big south trailhead. Hot, dry, and breezy with an abundance of fuel ain't good.


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View from 50 miles away last night.



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View of what the fuel load is like up there, it's all beetle kill. Some green in the foreground, 80%+ dead down and standing in the background.
 
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Don't worry fellas, the Cameron peak fire just said "hold my beer!" With the amount of beetle kill in this area, she's record bound! Here it is at 3 in the afternoon yesterday. It's hot and breezy currently and it's blowing up. We were told to evacuate last night and we were 7 or 8 miles away.

View attachment 11430
 
Heard there's another fire that started Friday or maybe Thursday called the Williams Peak fire. It's near the Henderson mine in unit 28. Pretty smokey in Denver this morning worse than the last couple days. Had ash on our cars this morning again.
 
As of this morning’s update....
Pine Gulch 81,107 acres
Grizzly Creek. 25,690 acres
Williams Fork. 4,300 acres
Cameron Peak. 10,867 acres
WE ARE BURNING UP WITH NO END IN SIGHT!!!!!
 
Down here in the SW we have been lucky to have dodged any big fires, but it isn't because it's not dry. I hope we all get some rain. The mag chloride looked a little slicker this morning.
 
It’s bad news bears at my place... I’m sandwiched between the pine gulch and The grizzly creek fires. Smoke has been terrible, the last two mornings have been about 500 to 1000 yards of visibility at best. The grizzly creek fire is burning on both sides of I-70. It’s essentially two fires at this point.
 
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I was in SE Utah Friday. Almost couldn’t see the La Sal mountains from Moab!!!!! Crazy how much smoke was down there. Kudos to the USFS for doing a tremendous job of managing the beetle killed pines. Too bad there isnt any accountability with those fine folks.
 
Yeah, smoky down hear. I have no idea where its coming from though. It was the fire on the strip a few weeks ago, did that thing flare up again? It's also like that when LA burns. It isn't from up north.
 
It’s bad news bears at my place... I’m sandwiched between the pine gulch and The grizzly creek fires. Smoke has been terrible, the last two mornings have been about 500 to 1000 yards of visibility at best. The grizzly creek fire is burning on both sides of I-70. It’s essentially two fires at this point.
That doesn't sound like a good place to be. Hopefully you and everyone else are out of harms way.
 
It’s bad news bears at my place... I’m sandwiched between the pine gulch and The grizzly creek fires. Smoke has been terrible, the last two mornings have been about 500 to 1000 yards of visibility at best. The grizzly creek fire is burning on both sides of I-70. It’s essentially two fires at this point.
Stay safe out there CBoy
 
no smoke here in Routt Co. the last two days. wind shifted a bit to keep the smoke south of us here. wife in boulder co. says there is ash on the cars there
 
Had one break out yesterday above rifle falls near the hatchery that crews were able to kill quickly. The Pine Gulch Fire is most likely going to grow to 100k acres here shortly. Grizzly creek fire is steam rolling unit 444. I believe it’s currently 25k to 27k acres and growing. My friend turned in his s44 sheep tag in result of it.
 
The ranch I lease is just west of cow ridge west stating to get pretty nervous. There are gas wells next to the cabin so I’m hoping they at least protect that if it gets there.
 
Headed up above the Cameron peak fire this am. I'll let you know what I see. Probably nothing with all the smoke.
 
I have been watching the Cameron Peak fire closely (as I hunt 19), and it looks like the wind shift has helped it a bit the last couple of days, so just hoping some rain comes before those Westerly winds return in earnest.
 
Pine Gulch now over 125,000 acres and burning towards Fruita and Loma
It now the 2nd largest in Colorado history and will probably be #1 tomorrow.
It grew 40,000 acres in 24 hours!
 
The Pine Gulch fire has gone completely through my lease. It will probably be awhile before I find out if the cabin was saved. Many years of memories up in smoke, I’m praying for the people affected up there.
 
The Douglas Pass area is getting set to get scorched. Fire crews and heavy equipment are moving in. The pass is closed to traffic and area esidents have been informed to be prepared to evaluate. 40,000 acres in 24 hours, 100°F, windy, and dry lightning forecasted. WTF ! ! !
 
Down here in the SW we have been lucky to have dodged any big fires, but it isn't because it's not dry. I hope we all get some rain. The mag chloride looked a little slicker this morning.
Mag chloride on your roads? Just curious, we use it on roads at our ranch in CA.... which is burning up also. Took pictures of the flames from my front porch this morning and raining ash all day.
 
Mag chloride on your roads? Just curious, we use it on roads at our ranch in CA.... which is burning up also. Took pictures of the flames from my front porch this morning and raining ash all day.
Yes.....the county applies it in the spring to cut down on dust and blading. As you know, it's a pretty good indicator of humidity.

The coal mines around here used a natural product that was somehow derived from tree resins. It was expensive I guess, but the greenies liked it better than mag chloride.
 
I was in SE Utah Friday. Almost couldn’t see the La Sal mountains from Moab!!!!! Crazy how much smoke was down there. Kudos to the USFS for doing a tremendous job of managing the beetle killed pines. Too bad there isnt any accountability with those fine folks.

Come on man, it’s to large of scale to just “manage”. The local districts don’t have the money, the horse power or the EA cleArance a lot of times. Let fire run its course and tell the libtards to quit bitching about the smoke when it’s in the air.
 
It’s too large of scale because the FS effectively stopped logging and shut down every saw mill. It’s too large of scale because the standing and dead fall timber could of been harvested for DECADES! Think of the money raised by timber sales and the money saved NOT fighting fires? I sure wasn’t bitching about smoke. I am bitching when the people TASKED with the management of our forests are the ones responsible fir its destruction!!!
 
The Pine Gulch fire is burning in an area that has very little to no usable timber, it’s all mostly pinion and juniper, oakbrush etc. There is a bit of Douglas fir on north facing slopes. There never have been sawmills in that area simply because it is the wrong type of forest.
 
The Pine Gulch fire is burning in an area that has very little to no usable timber, it’s all mostly pinion and juniper, oakbrush etc. There is a bit of Douglas fir on north facing slopes. There never have been sawmills in that area simply because it is the wrong type of forest.
That’s exactly right Bean and that stuff was so thick and dry we always said if it lit off there would be no stopping it. I had a sobering conversation with a ranch owner from up there today. He said fire service did everything they could to save his and my buddies cabin but that fire burned so fast and hot they barely made it out alive. He said nothing like he has ever seen completely scorched the ground, said it looks like the moon.
 
That’s exactly right Bean and that stuff was so thick and dry we always said if it lit off there would be no stopping it. I had a sobering conversation with a ranch owner from up there today. He said fire service did everything they could to save his and my buddies cabin but that fire burned so fast and hot they barely made it out alive. He said nothing like he has ever seen completely scorched the ground, said it looks like the moon.
Brighams Place?
 
I hate hearing stuff like that. If you have a place in the trees you can't help but worry a little. My insurance will go up again I'm sure.

I have never seen smoke like what is down here. It's like an eclipse. There were bats flying around at 4 in the afternoon.

The smoke smells terrible like a burning palo verde. I think we are getting something from Calif also.
 
It’s too large of scale because the FS effectively stopped logging and shut down every saw mill. It’s too large of scale because the standing and dead fall timber could of been harvested for DECADES! Think of the money raised by timber sales and the money saved NOT fighting fires? I sure wasn’t bitching about smoke. I am bitching when the people TASKED with the management of our forests are the ones responsible fir its destruction!!!

When you have a region that doesn’t get a budget you can’t have sales. When you scope Environmental Assessments and they get held up by Special interest groups and highly powerful people that love trees and you don’t have a budget to draw out a lawsuit it doest work. Don’t forget anything over 30 slope is a tough sell. Don’t forget that the sales don’t set Themselves up, don’t forget you need contract inspectors, markers, rehab specialists. Easy to just say it’s this FS Fault and Lay blame. But I’ve seen the CPW block sales right and left. So long story short, your full of **** man and your out of your lane.
 
You are 100% right about special interest groups litigating to stop timber sales. But to not share ANY of the blame on the FOREST SERVICE is naive!! Who manages our national forests? NASA doesn’t. The USFS does Chuck. They are tasked with the job. And they have done a laughable job. Radical environmentalists make their job tougher and sometimes borderline impossible. But the USFS is just another of a long list of federal agencies that somehow manage to make things WORSE. You have yourself a fine day.
 
That is rich. Can’t defend the inept federal agency so attack the rancher. Have fun at your giant marshmallow roast. Like the Post office, Amtrak, the Park Service and FEMA, the USFS is doing a wonderful job!!!!!
 
That is rich. Can’t defend the inept federal agency so attack the rancher. Have fun at your giant marshmallow roast. Like the Post office, Amtrak, the Park Service and FEMA, the USFS is doing a wonderful job!!!!!
Were you referring to me? If so, you should read my comment more closely. I credited your cows with better forest management than the USFS.

I remember when you could walk thru the aspens, before they kicked your cows out. You know, back in the good old days for deer we always talk about here.
 
I have a deer tag for unit 31/32 3rd season. With all the doom and gloom to the public lands area that I planned on hunting on the west side of the unit, I may be considering turning that tag back in. I have no clue where to hunt now. And I doubt the deer will move back in by then. I am praying for some rain, but mostly spread out over a few weeks. Not all at once. That could be even more devastating.
Good luck out there to yo Colorado boys!
 
Were you referring to me? If so, you should read my comment more closely. I credited your cows with better forest management than the USFS.

I remember when you could walk thru the aspens, before they kicked your cows out. You know, back in the good old days for deer we always talk about here.

Sorry. I mis-interpreted your post. I agree with you.
 
Well, it took longer than I thought but the Cameron peak fire is now over 20k acres. The lines they're cutting in are miles from the fire. It'll take a foot of snow to put it completely out.
 
Only good news was that I-70 opened today through Glenwood Canyon but they cautioned it could close again if winds shift or rockfalls happen which is quite likely if it rains any reasonable amount.
 
It’s too large of scale because the FS effectively stopped logging and shut down every saw mill. It’s too large of scale because the standing and dead fall timber could of been harvested for DECADES! Think of the money raised by timber sales and the money saved NOT fighting fires? I sure wasn’t bitching about smoke. I am bitching when the people TASKED with the management of our forests are the ones responsible fir its destruction!!!
You are 100% right about special interest groups litigating to stop timber sales. But to not share ANY of the blame on the FOREST SERVICE is naive!! Who manages our national forests? NASA doesn’t. The USFS does Chuck. They are tasked with the job. And they have done a laughable job. Radical environmentalists make their job tougher and sometimes borderline impossible. But the USFS is just another of a long list of federal agencies that somehow manage to make things WORSE. You have yourself a fine day.


There are so many success stories out there and we have some wonderful public lands. By chance do you have grading allotments on federal lands?
 
Did any rain hit the fires today? I saw some scattered showers moving through, hope the firefighters got a little moisture and cooler temps.
 
What rain? My in laws drove through a nice short rainstorm on the Grand Mesa today but I sure didn’t see anything from Palisade. it was 97 here today 15 miles from the fire.
 
It’s less than 2000 acres from being the biggest fire in Colorado history and it grew a 1000 acres today!
What’s they tell you?
 
Radar looked like there might be rain around Glenwood Canyon and some scattered showers in the Cameron Peak area. Wishful thinking on my part I guess.
 
I wouldn’t know seeing as how I’m full of $hit and out of my lane. How long have you been employed by the USFS?

I work for the state of Colorado. I just asked because your bullshit just sounded like the typical government rancher. One of the classic groups that handcuffs the agencies land management objectives.
 
You sir are a moron. You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. You live in a home made of timber products. You drive a car made with copper and steel and powered by fossil fuel. You wear clothes made of cotton and eat food raised by farmers. You use electronic devices daily. Everything on that list was grown or mined using natural resources, by others. But you have the stupidity to think because a cow eats grass, the world ends? It’s People like you that have our National Forest system in chaos. A clueless, mindless lemming following the latest propaganda you happen to read from the Sierra club. And not worth the time to argue with. Watch your state burn, and by all means, blame cattle.
 
It's way cooler this morning. It feels like fall here in the low country. This cool down has to help.(y)
 
If you haven't noticed on the DOW site. They have a list of units that have/had fires. You can get a refund for your tags.
 
You sir are a moron. You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. You live in a home made of timber products. You drive a car made with copper and steel and powered by fossil fuel. You wear clothes made of cotton and eat food raised by farmers. You use electronic devices daily. Everything on that list was grown or mined using natural resources, by others. But you have the stupidity to think because a cow eats grass, the world ends? It’s People like you that have our National Forest system in chaos. A clueless, mindless lemming following the latest propaganda you happen to read from the Sierra club. And not worth the time to argue with. Watch your state burn, and by all means, blame,


Negative, I just asked if you had a grazing allotment on the forest or the BLM. I know exactly what I’m talking about. I just don’t support the Democrats of the farm/ranch industry.And yes the permittees are the classic group that handcuffs sales prescribed fire and fuels work.
 
You sir are a moron. You have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. You live in a home made of timber products. You drive a car made with copper and steel and powered by fossil fuel. You wear clothes made of cotton and eat food raised by farmers. You use electronic devices daily. Everything on that list was grown or mined using natural resources, by others. But you have the stupidity to think because a cow eats grass, the world ends? It’s People like you that have our National Forest system in chaos. A clueless, mindless lemming following the latest propaganda you happen to read from the Sierra club. And not worth the time to argue with. Watch your state burn, and by all means, blame cattle.


Negative, I just asked if you had a grazing allotment on the forest or the BLM. I know exactly what I’m talking about. I just don’t support the Democrats of the farm/ranch industry.And yes the permittees are the classic group that handcuffs sales prescribed fire and fuels work.
 
Classic government employee drivel. You don’t know a thing about me except I am a rancher. So you lump me in with the very few bad apples in my vocation. So you won’t mind if I apply the same rule to all government guys? Only the USFS would classify an entire group of its employees as “Fuels Specialists”! Not timber sales or resource manager. They simply view trees as FUEL!!!!! Does that tell you anything about their management? The State of Colorado apparently drinks the same koolaid. Nature lesson for ya Chucky- trees are a renewable resource. They are handy for removing carbon from the air and producing oxygen. They also make wonderful boards and planks and beams. And they also happen to be flammable after decades of beetle killed trees are swept under the rug. Another nature fact is cattle don’t eat timber. They aren’t beavers for hell sakes. They like grass chuck. And I haven’t met a rancher who thinks trees are preferred to GRASS. During the heydays of mule deer, vast areas of the west were being logged. Fires were allowed to burn on a small scale. The pinion and juniper areas had hundreds of thousands of acres chained and reseeded. Mule deer thrived. Then we began the forest management practices that we see the results of today. People like yourself decided logging was evil, chaining was banned, small town saw mills went extinct and grazing was vilified. And the USFS was in charge the entire time. Awesome job. Blame them for the state of our national forests! Blame western watersheds and the Sierra club and other eco terror groups. Blame Edward Abby! Blame the beetles. But to blame the ranching families who live on and love the range lands Of the west is simply you showing how truly little you know. God Bless ya Chuck. I’m not sure how you manage to breath and tie your own shoes. I’ve extended this invitation to others on this site and I’ll extend it to you. Come visit a working ranch. See for yourself the projects I do to benefit wildlife on private and public land. Witness the money and time spent being a good steward of my land and public land. Look at the relationships I’ve built with the public land managers, on state and federal levels. And then come back here and hate me all you want. At least you will have met me and seen for yourself wether I’m a good steward of the land. Or keep chirping things that simply don’t make sense. The funny thing is, each and every time I’ve extended the invitation above to others on this site, NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON HAS ACCEPTED. What does that say about people really trying to see a perspective that doesn’t align with their own narrow minded view?
I truly hope folks with land, cabins, livestock and livelihoods, out being threatened by fires can stay safe and save their possessions. And my heart goes out to folks who have lost property and animals. You and I arguing won’t make things better for those folks.
 
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Had one break out yesterday above rifle falls near the hatchery that crews were able to kill quickly. The Pine Gulch Fire is most likely going to grow to 100k acres here shortly. Grizzly creek fire is steam rolling unit 444. I believe it’s currently 25k to 27k acres and growing. My friend turned in his s44 sheep tag in result of it.
Bad move! Now that this fire is basically under control I bet he is regretting turning his tag in.
 
Classic government employee drivel. You don’t know a thing about me except I am a rancher. So you lump me in with the very few bad apples in my vocation. So you won’t mind if I apply the same rule to all government guys? Only the USFS would classify an entire group of its employees as “Fuels Specialists”! Not timber sales or resource manager. They simply view trees as FUEL!!!!! Does that tell you anything about their management? The State of Colorado apparently drinks the same koolaid. Nature lesson for ya Chucky- trees are a renewable resource. They are handy for removing carbon from the air and producing oxygen. They also make wonderful boards and planks and beams. And they also happen to be flammable after decades of beetle killed trees are swept under the rug. Another nature fact is cattle don’t eat timber. They aren’t beavers for hell sakes. They like grass chuck. And I haven’t met a rancher who thinks trees are preferred to GRASS. During the heydays of mule deer, vast areas of the west were being logged. Fires were allowed to burn on a small scale. The pinion and juniper areas had hundreds of thousands of acres chained and reseeded. Mule deer thrived. Then we began the forest management practices that we see the results of today. People like yourself decided logging was evil, chaining was banned, small town saw mills went extinct and grazing was vilified. And the USFS was in charge the entire time. Awesome job. Blame them for the state of our national forests! Blame western watersheds and the Sierra club and other eco terror groups. Blame Edward Abby! Blame the beetles. But to blame the ranching families who live on and love the range lands Of the west is simply you showing how truly little you know. God Bless ya Chuck. I’m not sure how you manage to breath and tie your own shoes. I’ve extended this invitation to others on this site and I’ll extend it to you. Come visit a working ranch. See for yourself the projects I do to benefit wildlife on private and public land. Witness the money and time spent being a good steward of my land and public land. Look at the relationships I’ve built with the public land managers, on state and federal levels. And then come back here and hate me all you want. At least you will have met me and seen for yourself wether I’m a good steward of the land. Or keep chirping things that simply don’t make sense. The funny thing is, each and every time I’ve extended the invitation above to others on this site, NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON HAS ACCEPTED. What does that say about people really trying to see a perspective that doesn’t align with their own narrow minded view?
I truly hope folks with land, cabins, livestock and livelihoods, out being threatened by fires can stay safe and save their possessions. And my heart goes out to folks who have lost property and animals. You and I arguing won’t make things better for those folks.


It is a terrible thing what happening and those that are affected. I simply asked if you were a government rancher. Cause I’ve never seen anyone **** on the hand that feeds them. Here’s to your 1.35 AUM and the tax breaks you get on everything you own. I do encourage you to find another place in the summer if it’s so bad. You won’t because you wouldn’t make it without public lands. And for the record, I am pro logging, pro fire, pro prescribed fire, pro management fire. Grew up on a deeded ranch in fact it’s still going. We neighbored with the Feds, worked together still do, nice relationship so no I don’t need to come see how a “working ranch” operates. We never relied on the government and we still don’t bash them. But we are republicans to the core.
It’s Democrats like you are that stop us from doing our job. Dems like you that make the average joe question good forestry work being done and dems like you that continue to ask what the government can do for them.

I’d be happy to show you letters from the Manti-LaSal, G-Mug or the Juan of permittees getting in the way of true forestry work. All because you pay 1.35 AUM. Quit sucking on the tit and then shitting on the entities that allow you to operate in the red and still have money in the bank.
 
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So, you guys up north getting any help from the weather? I’m sitting here soaked in the sw mtns. It’s chilly and a boy scout would have a hard time lighting a fire. We still have a fire ban though.
 
So, you guys up north getting any help from the weather? I’m sitting here soaked in the sw mtns. It’s chilly and a boy scout would have a hard time lighting a fire. We still have a fire ban though.


It slowed the fire at Cameron. These firefighters are well aware of what they're up against. They're setting their fire lines several miles from the fire knowing only mother nature and a foot of snow will put it out. That beetle killed country has been in need of a fire for awhile now.

Edit: wind is kicking up, 20-30. Won't take long to dry it back out and blow it up. Red flag warning.
 
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Just enough to dampen the roads and spot up my windshield. The cool air is sure welcomed. That 100°F BS got old.
 
Ranchers and real land manager folks, aka not state or feds, have mostly welcomed the fire since it was long over due and our range/forest needs regeneration. We'll see how the regulators respond.
 
It is a terrible thing what happening and those that are affected. I simply asked if you were a government rancher. Cause I’ve never seen anyone **** on the hand that feeds them. Here’s to your 1.35 AUM and the tax breaks you get on everything you own. I do encourage you to find another place in the summer if it’s so bad. You won’t because you wouldn’t make it without public lands. And for the record, I am pro logging, pro fire, pro prescribed fire, pro management fire. Grew up on a deeded ranch in fact it’s still going. We neighbored with the Feds, worked together still do, nice relationship so no I don’t need to come see how a “working ranch” operates. We never relied on the government and we still don’t bash them. But we are republicans to the core.
It’s Democrats like you are that stop us from doing our job. Dems like you that make the average joe question good forestry work being done and dems like you that continue to ask what the government can do for them.

I’d be happy to show you letters from the Manti-LaSal, G-Mug or the Juan of permittees getting in the way of true forestry work. All because you pay 1.35 AUM. Quit sucking on the tit and then shitting on the entities that allow you to operate in the red and still have money in the bank.

FUNNIEST THING IVE READ IN A LONG TIME!!!! I can only imagine your “republican “ ranch. So stuffed animals count? I can picture you and your strawberry shortcake pony!!! Done arguing with an idiot bureaucrat who has no idea what the hell its talking about. Have a fine night Chuck. You’re a wonderful comedian. For what it’s worth I don’t run a single cow on BLM or FS land. Know plenty of fine people who do. And I’ll keep calling them friends long after your kind has moved to the city so the government can care for your stupid asses.
 
Here's a trailcam picture from right behind our cabin in the early morning hours on August 12th. You can see the glow of the fire in the right side of the photo, and the air is full of ash. Thankfully, the cabin was saved! This is the Grizzly creek fire.
ash.jpg
 

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