In The NoCo

Wildfire risk part of new reality for Northern Colorado homeowners

By In The NoCo,

Published April 11, 2024 at 5:40 AM MDT

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Homes burn as a wildfire rips through a development near Rock Creek Village, Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021, near Broomfield, Colorado.

The risk of wildfire is a reality that is beginning to define life in Northern Colorado. This last weekend tens of thousands of people in Boulder County were left suddenly without power for days when Xcel shut it off in anticipation of high winds, and potential loose lines.

Today we’re listening back to an interview covering a 2023 report from the company CoreLogic, which showed that thousands of homes in Northern Colorado are susceptible to damage from wildfires. In Boulder, nearly 10,000 homes are at risk. In Fort Collins, that number rises to more than 14,000.

Statistics in the report put Colorado in the number two slot nationwide for potential wildfire damage. We discussed these risks and more with Jude Bayham, who researches wildfire management at Colorado State University.

We mentioned a pay raise for federal wildland firefighters that was stalled in Congress as of September 2023, when this conversation first aired. You can learn more about protecting your home from wildfire here.

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In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC’s new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University’s NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family’s financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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