This archive report was first published on 19 November 2021.
Published on November 19, 2021, a devastating wildfire in northern Colorado has claimed the life of a pilot and led to a wave of evacuations.
The Kruger Rock fire, located near the southeastern tip of Estes Park, about 40 miles northwest of Boulder, has burned 146 acres and is 40 percent contained, according to Larimer County officials.
More than 200 firefighters are battling the blaze, which was first reported early Tuesday morning. Crews found flames burning in steep terrain, and gusty winds and low humidity caused the fire to quickly spread, threatening structures in the area.
Several rounds of evacuation orders, both mandatory and voluntary, were issued to residents and businesses throughout the day on Tuesday. By the afternoon, the fire had burned 75 acres and caused a portion of Highway 36 to close for about a day. Parts of Rocky Mountain National Park were also closed due to the fire.
Efforts to contain the blaze carried into the evening on Tuesday, when a plane carrying a load of fire suppressant crashed, killing the pilot. No one else was on board. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash, officials said.
The pilot, identified as Marc Thor Olson, an Army and Air Force veteran, had reported moments before the crash that conditions were turbulent over the fire, according to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.
While some evacuation orders were lifted on Wednesday, there were worrying signs that the fire could spread. The National Weather Service in Boulder set a red flag warning for wildfires in the foothills, South Park, and the Palmer Divide through early Friday, citing a very dry air mass and relative humidity as low as 6 percent.
Wildfire experts see the signature of climate change in the dryness, high heat, and longer fire season that have made these fires more extreme. “We wouldn’t be seeing this giant ramp-up in fire activity as fast as it is happening without climate change,” said Park Williams, a climate scientist at U.C.L.A.
