Dramatic flooding not as likely near 24 fire scar, experts say
As monsoon season sets in, a team of experts found the 24 fire’s burn scar is far less likely to see the dramatic flash flooding that hit Beulah last week following the Aspen Acres fire.
The 24 fire burned 7,440 acres in March along Colorado 115 on Fort Carson’s training land, but it was not nearly as hot and damaging to the landscape as the Aspen Acres blaze that has charred more than 100,000 acres southwest of Pueblo and is still burning.
A Burned Area Emergency Response team found that the 24 fire burned through three small basins that drain toward Colorado 115 and rain could cause debris flows in those areas, but it is “relatively unlikely” because of the area’s geology, a Fort Carson official said in an emailed statement.
The team included experts from local Forest Service and Geological Survey offices who assessed the burn scar and found that most of the land did not burn at temperatures that can have a lasting negative impact.
“The low severity burn areas appear to have benefited from the fire. Moderate burn severity areas are showing patchy vegetative response,” the Fort Carson official said.
The 24 fire did not burn as hot as the Aspen Acres fire, so experts do not expect it will cause dramatic flooding. (Courtesy of Fort Carson, Leslie Fowler)
Less than 10 acres of the 24 fire burned at a high severity and 961 acres burned at moderate severity, the statement said.
In a high-severity area, most of the ground cover and surface organic matter is burned and the soil structure is less stable at the surface. In a moderate area, up to 80% of the prefire ground cover is gone.
High severity burns can cause the soil to repel water rather than absorbing it, increasing the risk of flooding.
The team found that the patches of severely burned land were internal to the base and could cause increased water runoff, the statement said.
Fort Carson paused training on the burn scar for four months to allow the land to recover, a statement said. A team with Fort Carson also conducted reseeding to help rehabilitate dozer lines, the statement said. Bulldozers are often used to remove vegetation from the land to help prevent fires from spreading.
Training in the burn scar restarted in August, the statement said.
After downpours, the Forest Service and Geological Survey experts also recommended Fort Carson officials inspect roads, trails and stream crossings for debris buildup or erosion on an ongoing basis.