This is a partial list of wildfires in the U.S. State of Colorado which have occurred periodically throughout its recorded history.[1]
One of the most significant fires in United States history was The Big Blowup of 1910.[2] In that fire, 3 million acres burned and 78 firefighters were killed in the northern Rocky Mountains (in the states of Washington, Idaho, and Montana) which led to a standing policy in Colorado of all fires out by 10 am.[3] The policy evolved over the 20th century.
The Colorado State Forest Service was established by the Colorado General Assembly in 1955 and oversees response to wildfires in Colorado.
Part of the 2002 Colorado wildfires that burned nearly 360,000 acres, the Hayman Fire, was the largest wildfire in Colorado state history for nearly 20 years[4] [5] until the Pine Gulch Fire surpassed it in August 2020.[6] The Cameron Peak Fire became the largest wildfire in Colorado history seven weeks later, at a size of 206,667 burned acres as of October 21, 2020. The 2012 Colorado forest fires broke the record for most destructive fire twice and led to declaration of a federal disaster area in June 2012.[7] The 2013 Colorado forest fires, fueled by high heat and winds[8] again broke the record for the most destructive and included what was the second largest fire (by area) in Colorado history until being surpassed by several fires in 2020. With multiple record-breaking fires, the 2020 Colorado wildfire season became the largest in the state's history after burning 665454acres.[9]
This list only covers the largest, most destructive fires in Colorado history. Colorado State University (CSU) has information on named fires from 1976 to 2006[10] and total wildfires from 1960 to 2009.[11] According to CSU, wildfires in Colorado burned less than 100000acres per decade over the 1960s and the 1970s. For the 1980s and 1990s, the total was over 200000acres per decade. For the 2000s, the total was approximately 200000acres. Notable fires from before 1980 are also included, sourced mainly from old newspapers and records. All fires greater than 40000acres and all but one over 20000acres occurred in the 21st century. Acreage of fires that are partly in Colorado are indicated in red.
Year | data-sort-type=number | Size ! | Name | Area | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1924 | 2000acres | Jim Creek fire | Winter Park, Colorado, Moffat Tunnel west portal. | ||
1927 | 135acres | Payne Gulch fire | South of Bailey, Colorado, Pike National Forest.[12] | ||
1932 | 600acres | Tolland fire | Tolland, Colorado. | ||
1934 | 300acres | East Portal fire | West of Tolland, Colorado, Moffat Tunnel east portal. | ||
1934 | 300acres | Hourglass fire | Topaz Mountain, Pike National Forest. | ||
1938 | 700acres | Black Canyon fire | East of Tolland, Colorado, Roosevelt National Forest. | ||
1939 | 1009acres | Panhandle fire[13] | Northwest of Red Feather Lakes, Colorado, Roosevelt National Forest. | ||
1939 | 1319acres | Granite Mountain fire | Granite, Colorado, San Isabel National Forest. | ||
1939 | 657acres | Mammoth Mountain fire | Platoro, Colorado, Rio Grande National Forest. | ||
1942 | 500acres | Green Ridge fire | East of Yampa, Colorado, Routt National Forest. | ||
1944 | 900acres | Glendevey fire | Glendevey, Colorado, Roosevelt National Forest. | ||
1944 | 700acres | Hell's Hole fire | West of Wolcott, Colorado. | ||
1948 | 14000acres | Weld County grass fire | Kersey, Colorado. | ||
1950 | 28800acres | Cheyenne Mountain fire | Destroyed 89 buildings in and around Camp Carson and killed 8 people. Although reports claim the fire was over 45 square miles in size, this number was likely exaggerated. | ||
1950 | 2000acres | Grand Mesa fire | Grand Mesa, west of Cedaredge, Colorado. | ||
1951 | 350acres | Fremont Peak fire | Threatened the Royal Gorge bridge. | ||
1951 | 6000acres | Trailer Draw fire | |||
1952 | 2000acres | Roosevelt fire | Roosevelt National Forest, north of Red Feather Lakes. | ||
1952 | 3000acres | Tallahassee Creek fire | West of Cañon City, Colorado. | ||
1952 | 200acres | Owl's Head fire | |||
1952 | 1600acres | Goose Creek fire | South of Creede, Colorado. | Burned in an area so rugged in the Rio Grande National Forest that firefighters had to hike in five miles from the nearest road. Caused by hunters. | |
1956 | 600acres | Devil's Canyon fire | Southwest of Idaho Springs, Colorado, in the Arapaho National Forest, Clear Creek County. | ||
1956 | 300acres | North Fork fire | Rocky Mountain National Park, northwest of Glen Haven, Colorado | ||
1958 | 300acres | Deadman fire | |||
1959 | 2107acres | Morefield fire | |||
1962 | 1064acres | Resthouse fire | Arapaho National Forest, Clear Creek County, Colorado. | ||
1962 | 2200acres | Bear Creek fire | |||
1963 | 2100acres | Wildcat Canyon fire | Pike National Forest, southwest of Cheeseman Lake | Escaped prescribed fire that jumped the South Platte River. | |
1966 | 470acres | Comanche fire | |||
1968 | 740acres | Lincoln Lake fire | Arapaho National Forest, Clear Creek County, Colorado. | ||
1971 | 3100acres | Bull Mountain fire | |||
1972 | 2317acres | Moccasin Mesa fire | |||
1972 | 1550acres | Irish Canyon fire | Helicopter crashed while working on this fire. No fatalities. | ||
1972 | 1565acres | Plug Hat fires | Two fires, about 900 and 700 acres. | ||
1974 | 115acres | Gold Hill fire | Immediately south of Gold Hill, Colorado. 1 structure destroyed. Human caused. | ||
1974 | 375acres | Jefferson Lake fire | West of Kenosha Pass, Colorado | ||
1975 | 4200acres | Red Dirt fire | Largest Colorado wildfire at the time until surpassed by the Emerald Lake fire in 1980. | ||
1976 | 880acres | Battlement Creek fire | Killed 3 firefighters in a burn over and 1 pilot in an airtanker crash. | ||
1976 | 230acres | Comforter Mountain fire | Boulder Canyon, Colorado | ||
1977 | 500acres | Ox Yoke fire | |||
1977 | 1400acres | Meadow Lake fire | |||
1977 | 4170acres | Deep Creek fire | |||
1978 | 1122acres | Kilpecker fire | |||
1978 | 6300acres | Overholt fire | |||
1978 | 2300acres | Maes Creek fire | |||
1978 | 400acres | Reservoir fire | |||
1978 | 1000acres | Ouzel fire | Caused by lightning in Rocky Mountain National Park and was allowed to burn naturally, but was pushed by strong winds and ran towards Allenspark, Colorado. Luckily, the fire was subdued before it reached the park boundary. | ||
1980 | 10063acres | Emerald Lake fire | Largest wildfire in Colorado history at the time. | ||
1988 | 15438acres | I Do fire | South of Sunbeam, Colorado, Moffat County. | Surpassed the Emerald Lake fire as largest in the state's history. Named for a Bureau of Land Management firefighter who was married the day the fire broke out. | |
1989 | 2100acres | 44 homes and structures burned in under six hours. At the time, it was Colorado's most destructive wildfire in terms of property loss and damage.[14] | |||
1993 | 9917acres | Wapiti fire | |||
1993 | 12410acres | Sunbeam fire | |||
1994 | 13234acres | Black Ridge fire | |||
1994 | 2115acres | Sometimes referred to as the "Storm King Mountain fire".[15] Killed 14 firefighters. | |||
1996 | 11875acres | Buffalo Creek fire | Destroyed 12 homes. | ||
1996 | 15872acres | O'Pinion fire | |||
2000 | 16000acres | Kiowa County fire | Kiowa County, Colorado. | ||
2000 | 11021acres | Hi Meadow fire | Burned 58 structures and caused more than $15 million in damages. Ignited by a cigarette.[16] | ||
2000 | 10599acres[17] | Bobcat Gulch fire | West of Loveland, Colorado, Roosevelt National Forest | Caused by a campfire in the Bobcat Gulch on June 12, 2000 and caused the loss of 22 structures.[18] | |
2000 | 23607acres | Bircher fire | Largest fire in Mesa Verde National Park history. | ||
2000 | 11033acres | Buster Flats fire | Northwestern Moffat County, Colorado. | ||
2002 | 10000acres | Lincoln County Complex fire | Lincoln County, Colorado | ||
2002 | 137760acres | Fifth largest fire in Colorado history by area. 5 firefighter deaths, 133 homes lost, 600 total structures destroyed, more than $42 million in damages. Caused by arson.[19] | |||
2002 | 71739acres | Missionary Ridge Fire | Started June 9, 2002. Firefighting cost $40 million; one firefighter death after tree fall. Burned for 39 days and destroyed 46 houses and cabins. | ||
2002 | 12209acres | Caused by a coal seam fire that initially ignited in 1910 and burned underground for decades. 43 structures were destroyed. | |||
2002 | 27084acres | Trinidad Complex fire | Spring and Fisher fires. The Spring fire began in New Mexico and crossed into Colorado. | ||
2002 | 4413acres | Big Elk fire | 3 firefighters killed in plane crash. | ||
2002 | 4439acres | Iron Mountain fire | Southwest of Cañon City, Colorado. | Destroyed 201 structures, including over 100 homes. | |
2002 | 30573acres | Burn Canyon fire | |||
2002 | 13490acres | Spring Creek Complex fire | Spring Creek and East Meadow Creek fires | ||
2002 | 17273acres | Big Fish fire | |||
2002 | 31016acres | Mt. Zirkel Complex fire | Consisted of the Burn Ridge and Hinman fires. | ||
2003 | 3705acres | Overland fire | Caused by downed power lines. Destroyed 62 structures. | ||
2004 | 9014acres | Picnic Rock fire | |||
2004 | 4188acres | Campbell Fire | BLM and Uncompahgre National Forest. | ||
2005 | 11357acres | Mason fire | |||
2006 | 15400acres | Yuma County fire | Yuma County, Colorado | ||
2006 | 13820acres | Mato Vega fire | La Veta Pass, Colorado | ||
2008 | 8900acres | Ordway fire | Killed 2 firefighters and burned 44 structures. | ||
2008 | 9000acres | TA-25 fire | Pilot killed when his plane crashed. | ||
2008 | 46612acres | Bridger fire | |||
2008 | 25385acres | Mayberry fire | |||
2010 | 6181acres | Fourmile Canyon fire | Caused by an extinguished fire pit that reignited.[20] Destroyed 172 structures and was the most destructive Colorado wildfire at the time. | ||
2011 | 12310acres | Fort Lyons fire | John Martin Reservoir, Bent County, Colorado | ||
2011 | 46257acres | Bear Springs Complex fire | Consisted of the Bear Springs and Callie Marie fires. | ||
2011 | 14651acres | Shell Complex fire | Las Animas County, Colorado | Consisted of the Shell and Brice fires. | |
2011 | 3200acres[21] | Crystal fire | Roosevelt National Forest, West of Loveland/Fort Collins, Colorado | 15 primary structures burned[22] | |
2012 | 7685acres[23] | Hewlett Gulch fire | Arapaho National Forest & Roosevelt National Forest, West of Fort Collins, Colorado | ||
2012 | 20000acres | Heartstrong fire | |||
2012 | 3217acres | Lower North Fork fire | Caused by an escaped prescribed fire. Burned 23 homes and killed 3 people. Deadliest Colorado wildfire in terms of civilian lives lost. | ||
2012 | 24931acres[24] | Little Sand fire | |||
2012 | 87284acres | Roosevelt National Forest, West of Fort Collins | Started by lightning. Eighth largest wildfire in Colorado state history by area. Killed one person and destroyed at least 248 homes, making it the most destructive fire in state history until Waldo Canyon Fire a few days later. | ||
2012 | 18247acres | Colorado Springs area | Located near Pikes Peak, northwest of Colorado Springs in the Waldo Canyon – origin currently unknown – first reported the afternoon of Saturday, June 23. Destroyed 346 homes; the most destructive fire until the Black Forest Fire of 2013. Two fatalities. | ||
2012 | 45000acres[25] | Last Chance fire | Began south of Last Chance, Colorado, by sparks from a tire blowout. Burned 11 structures.[26] | ||
2012 | 10147acres | Weber fire | |||
2012 | 13863acres | Pine Ridge fire | |||
2012 | 3500acres | Fern Lake fire | |||
2013 | 14280acres[27] | The most destructive fire in Colorado state history until 2020. Destroyed 511 homes, left 28 homes partially damaged, and claimed the lives of two people.[28] Cause: natural causes eliminated. | |||
2013 | 3800acres[29] | Started June 11, 2013; jumped Royal Gorge and damaged the Royal Gorge Bridge. | |||
2013 | 13572acres[30] [31] | Started June 19, 2013; put the entire town of Walsenburg, Colorado, under pre-evacuation status. Cause: Lightning. | |||
2013 | 110405acres[32] [33] [34] | Started June 20, 2013; forced evacuation of entire town of South Fork, Colorado. The fire is composed of three subsidiary fires that merged: West Fork fire, Papoose fire and Windy Pass fire. Cause: Lightning. | |||
2014 | 19569acres | Alkali fire | |||
2015 | 11699acres | Gutterson Ranch fire | |||
2016 | 38380acres | Beaver Creek fire | Burned from June until October on the Colorado-Wyoming state line. | ||
2016 | 16574acres | Hayden Pass fire | |||
2016 | 5232acres | Beulah Hill fire | Destroyed 14 structures. | ||
2016 | 18761acres | Junkins fire | Destroyed 26 structures. | ||
2016 | 205acres | Chatridge Fire | Caused by faulty utility pole operated by Xcel Energy. Highway 85 was closed down for a couple hours and more than 850 homes were evacuated. | ||
2017 | 32564acres | Logan fire | Fanned by strong winds, the fire killed hundreds of cattle and destroyed 15 structures. | ||
2017 | 12839acres | Peekaboo fire | Cause: Lightning/natural. | ||
2017 | 18804acres | Dead Dog fire | |||
2017 | 84acres | Peak 2 fire | Although small, this fire was forced the evacuation of 463 homes near Breckenridge, Colorado. | ||
2018 | 10330acres | Stateline fire | Las Animas County, Colorado and Union County, New Mexico | Started in New Mexico and burned into Colorado. Blackened over 28,000 acres. | |
2018 | 42795acres | MM 117 fire | 23 homes destroyed[35] | ||
2018 | 33609acres | Badger Hole fire | Burned a total of 50,815 acres in Colorado and Kansas. Destroyed 24 structures. | ||
2018 | 54129acres | 416 & Burro Fire Complex | Durango, Colorado | The fire started June 1, 2018 about 10 miles north of Durango, Colorado. | |
2018 | 108045acres | Spring Creek Fire | Fort Garland, Colorado / La Veta, Colorado / Sangre de Cristo Mountains | The fire started June 27, 2018 about 9 miles NE of Ft. Garland, CO. The fire reached 108,045 acres of burned area. It was declared 100% contained on September 10, 2018.[36] More than 140 homes were lost to the fire.[37] At least 120 others have been damaged. The fire was human caused and the suspect faces 141 counts of first-degree arson – one count for each home destroyed by the fire.[38] | |
2018 | 13023acres | Fairplay, Colorado | |||
2018 | 19955acres | Divide fire | |||
2018 | 20120acres | Silver Creek fire | |||
2018 | 12588acres | ||||
2018 | 19634acres | Plateau fire | |||
2018 | 36520acres | Bull Draw fire | |||
2019 | 8959acres | Decker fire | Caused by lightning in early September and was allowed to burn while being supervised in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness. Fire flared up jumping Methodist Mt. threatening homes south of Salida. | ||
2020 | 11818acres | Cherry Canyon Fire | 37º 22' 3" −103º 27' 1" | Caused by lightning, Sunday, May 27.[39] | |
2020 | 2905acres | Caused by lightning, initial attack on Sunday, June 14 at 12:41 pm.[40] The pre-positioned Durango Interagency Type 3 team responded to the initial attack and managed the fire until the Rocky Mountain Type 2 Blue Team assumed command of the fire on Tuesday June 16, 2020. The fire transitioned back to a local Type 3 organization on Wednesday, June 24 at 6:00 a.m. | |||
2020 | 139007acres | Caused by lightning, initial attack on Friday, July 31, after 5 pm.[41] On 27 Aug 2020, Pine Gulch wildfire became the largest fire in Colorado history, only to be surpassed two months later by the Cameron Peak Fire. Suppression costs are $35,000,000.[42] | |||
2020 | 3226acres | Fawn Creek Fire | 39º 45' 44", 108º 25' 7" | Caused by lightning, July 13, 2020. Suppression costs are $2,285,000. | |
2020 | 461acres | Chatridge 2 Fire | Started due to a faulty utility pole operated by Xcel Energy. Large tankers operating out of Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport(KBJC) assisted in firefighting operations. | ||
2020 | 32431acres | Started along Interstate 70 in Glenwood Canyon.[43] Structures destroyed: 3. Suppression costs: $36,000,000. | |||
2020 | 208663acres[44] | Started August 13, cause under investigation. On 14 Oct 2020 the fire became the largest wildfire in Colorado history.[46] Structures destroyed: 461. Suppression costs: $134 million.[47] | |||
2020 | 14577acres | Williams Fork fire | Williams Fork Drainage in the Arapaho National Forest, southwest of Fraser.[48] | Started August 14, human-caused. (Size as of 13 October 2020). Suppression costs: $22,470,000.(costs as of October 14, 2020) | |
2020 | 165acres | Lewstone Fire | Lewstone Creek between Highway 14 and Rist Canyon[49] | Started on August 22 and was 100% contained on August 25.[50] | |
2020 | 20433acres | Middle Fork Fire | Caused by lightning, started in Routt National Forest. (Size as of 25 October 2020) Suppression costs: $5,819,235.00.(costs as of October 14, 2020) | ||
2020 | 176878acres | Mullen Fire | This fire originated in Wyoming on September 17, and burned into Colorado on October 1.[51] [52] Most of the acreage of this fire is located in Wyoming. Size as of 17 October 2020. Structures destroyed: 66. Suppression costs: $34,599,924.(costs and structures destroyed as of October 15, 2020) | ||
2020 | 192560acres[53] | East Troublesome Fire | Began on 10/14/2020 at 4:00 pm North of Parshall, Colorado causing the deaths of at least 2 elderly people. Cause under investigation. Colorado's second largest wildfire and the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history until the Marshal Fire of 2021, with estimated insured losses totaled $543 million ($560 in 2021 dollars) resulting from approximately 1,602 homeowner and auto insurance claims filed.[54] | ||
2020 | 10095acres[55] | Calwood Fire | Reported at noon on 10/17/2020, North of Jamestown, Colorado. . | ||
2020 | 460acres[56] | Lefthand Canyon Fire | Discovered 12:41:00 p.m. 10/18/2020, Near Ward, Colorado.[57] | ||
2021 | 1600acres | Boulder, Colorado | Reported approximately 10:30 am on 12/30/2021 near Marshall, Colorado. High winds swept the grass fire eastward through the towns of Superior and Louisville, Colorado, causing the evacuation of more than 30,000 people and a loss of $513,212,589 in under six hours. There were 1084 residential structures destroyed and 149 residential structures damaged.[58] [59] [60] [61] | ||
2022 | 190acres | Boulder, Colorado | Reported approximately 2:00 0m on 03/26/2022. | ||
2024 | 9053acres | Alexander Mountain | Reported approximately 11:00 am on 07/29/2024. 1% contained as of 8:40pm, 07/31/24. | ||
2024 | 1548acres | Indian Mountain, Lyons, Colorado | Reported approximately 2:00 pm on 07/30/2024. 20% contained as of 7:20pm, 07/31/24. |