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KUNC is among the founding partners of the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration of public media stations that serve the Western states of Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

Spring Creek, Dollar Ridge Fires Burn Strong In Slightly Above Average Fire Season

The Spring Creek Fire in southern Colorado.
With permission, Spring Creek Fire Facebook
The Spring Creek Fire in southern Colorado.

So far around 60 wildfiresare burning on 700,000 acres of land nationwide. Here’s a look at the 2018 fire season in our region and the forecast for the summer.

The biggest fires burning in the Mountain West states are the Spring Creek fire in Colorado and the Dollar Ridge fire in Utah..

 

Jennifer Jones is a spokesperson with the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise.

 

“Most of our active fires are occurring right now in the Rocky Mountain area which includes Colorado as well as the Great Basin area which includes Utah, Nevada and Idaho,” Jones said.

 

Map of the Spring Creek fire in southern Colorado.
Credit Joseph Elfelt
Map of the Spring Creek fire in southern Colorado.

This fire season is slightly above average for the number of acres burned. Jones said as summer goes on the monsoon season will cause fires to taper off in the Southwest states, and they’ll pick up in northern states like Montana.   

“We’re just getting into peak fire activity time for the rest of the West,” she said.

 

With, windy conditions and potential for lightning, there’s a chance of more fires in the coming days. Long term, the forecast shows above average potential for fires now through September.

 

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, Yellowstone Public Radio in Montana, KUER in Salt Lake City and KRCC and KUNC in Colorado.

 

Copyright 2020 KUER 90.1. To see more, visit .

Erik Neumann is a radio producer and writer. A native of the Pacific Northwest, his work has appeared on public radio stations and in magazines along the West Coast. He received his Bachelor's Degree in geography from the University of Washington and a Master's in Journalism from UC Berkeley. Besides working at KUER, he enjoys being outside in just about every way possible.