Author: RACHAEL WRIGHT Special to Colorado Politics
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Firefighters’ deaths prompt debate over 100% suppression wildfire strategy
On July 22, 2026, the chief of the U.S. Forest Service testified before a House Agriculture subcommittee that his agency pursues a “full suppression” strategy to contain all fires while they are still small, rather than allowing them to burn for ecological benefits. The testimony from Tom Schultz, the fire chief, came just two days…
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Firefighters’ deaths prompt debate over 100% suppression wildfire strategy
On July 22, 2026, the chief of the U.S. Forest Service testified before a House Agriculture subcommittee that his agency pursues a “full suppression” strategy to contain all fires while they are still small, rather than allowing them to burn for ecological benefits. The testimony from Tom Schultz, the fire chief, came just two days…
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Firefighters’ deaths prompt debate over 100% suppression wildfire strategy
On July 22, 2026, the chief of the U.S. Forest Service testified before a House Agriculture subcommittee that his agency pursues a “full suppression” strategy to contain all fires while they are still small, rather than allowing them to burn for ecological benefits. The testimony from Tom Schultz, the fire chief, came just two days…
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As Snyder Mesa fire raged in Colorado, mustangs rescuer faced a dilemma: Evacuate or shelter in place — with the animals
The wildfire alert that pinged her phone at 3 a.m. on June 27 didn’t surprise Tracy Scott. There had been a thunderstorm the night before. She decided to go back to sleep, as she and her husband had a meeting in Grand Junction early in the morning. “I thought, ‘Who knows?’ It was probably a…
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100-plus campers evacuated as hundreds of firefighters join battle against Snyder Mesa fire near Colorado-Utah border
More than a hundred campers recreating along the Colorado River have been evacuated, as more firefighters have joined the battle against a wildfire raging near the Colorado-Utah border. More firefighters are expected to arrive to help against the Snyder Mesa fire, which claimed the lives of three firefighters over the weekend in what has been…
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Gov. Polis asks residents not to use fireworks as wildfires burn
While Gov. Jared Polis said he will not issue a statewide fire ban, Colorado’s top political leader urged residents against using fireworks as the country heads into the July 4 weekend. “We are encouraging the people of Colorado to exercise personal responsibility and not do anything that could cause fires — from off-roading to shooting…
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3 firefighters who died fighting Snyder Mesa fire identified; one once worked as a snowmaker in Vail
Federal authorities on Monday identified the three firefighters who died responding to the Knowles Fire at the Colorado-Utah border, one of whom once worked for a resort in Vail. Across Colorado, several fires are burning, with zero containment in what had been a frantic and deadly start to the state’s wildfire season. The U.S. Department…
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3 firefighters killed, 2 injured while tackling wildfires on the Colorado-Utah border
Grand Junction • Three firefighters died and two were injured while tackling fires on the Colorado-Utah border, the U.S. Wildland Fire Service reported Sunday. At Grand Junction Regional Airport, the flag-draped bodies of the three firefighters were transferred from a helicopter to Mesa County Coroner’s Office trucks. A dozen firefighters who had helped recover the bodies…
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Multiple fires converge at Colorado-Utah border
A wildfire in Mesa County had combined with others to the east, tearing through tens of thousands of acres, wildfire authorities said on Sunday. The Snyder fire, which ignited from lightning on the evening of June 26, had combined with at least two other fires and burned through 28,000 acres, according to the Upper Colorado…
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Eagle County leads the way in fire mitigation as winter drought deepens
In 2011, Eagle County had what it considered a robust Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), which it developed and then discussed with community leaders. But after the devastation wrought by the 2020 fire season, in which three fires — Cameron Peak, East Troublesome, and Pine Gulch — consumed nearly half a million acres, Eric Lovgren,…