The Cameron Peak Fire has been on a rampage eastward growing just over 208,000 acres in under two months. Nick Gordon, a professional photographer, “The glow of the [Cameron Peak] fire over the mountains sparked an unfathomable feeling.” Gordon recently returned from a trip to Estes Park, CO which has been at risk of burning to the ground as it was surrounded by Colorado’s biggest wildfire in history. Two of Colorado’s largest wildfires in history(East Troublesome Fire and Cameron Peak fire) have been burning and growing extremely fast due to the increased arid conditions this past summer produced.
Coloradans are experiencing vicious forest fires this year due to low precipitation and drought-like conditions. The trees were essentially primed to burn. These factors are the effects of climate change that have been fueling the raging wildfires in Colorado and California. The high winds Coloradans have experienced this year have only increased the spread of the fires with the East Troublesome fire growing 106,000 acres in under 12 hours. The fires experienced this year are expected to be only the beginning as climate change progresses.
Scientists informed the public of the future dangers associated with climate change, but climate change was intangible for many people before many visible effects were present. Now, years after many warnings, the consequences are lighting up the Colorado Sky.
As the current generation progresses, more and more detrimental effects of climate change will be revealed to the public firsthand rather than in the form of a warning(Berardelli 2020). Climate change will become irreversible if the world as a whole does not expedite this issue to top priority and make real change.
Forest fires are a natural occurrence, but not when it is caused by humans. Natural forest fires are almost impossible as humans have altered the environment so much that natural processes like forest fires cannot regulate themselves(Ehrenreich 2018).
The fire marshals think that the Cameron Peak fire was started by a human by accident such as a cigarette butt starting the blaze. The intensity of the fires is not natural to this ecosystem, but instead a result of dry conditions, and high winds caused by climate change (Higuera and Abatzoglou 2020).
“The fires are burning faster than any other year I’ve worked the fires… it’s actually quite terrifying battling a force strong enough to wipe out entire forests and towns,” Ryan Dicken, a forest firefighter, said. “When it comes down to it a lot of the work we do is damage control because the fire will never turn around and go the other way. It just keeps coming until everything burns up or we put it out.”
For many Coloradans, mountain recreation is a way of life and a favorite pastime. Many people rely on the mountain space to make a living and survive. The wildfires, a result of climate change, are dampening that way of life as well as risking the future of it.
Climate change is affecting the daily lives and routines of local Coloradans. “Most of the mountain access near Fort Collins has been closed due to fire danger, which is tough because I don’t know what to do in town with the Covid restrictions,” Ross Leopold, an avid hiker, said. Coloradans similar to Leopold have had their mountain activities on hold this year hoping that the fires will die down quickly.
Colorado has experienced the detrimental effects of climate change firsthand. Days cool down as the smoke blocks out the sun, and ash rains down piling up in the corners of people’s windshields. Ross Leopold said that he has to wear goggles on his ride to class some mornings because of the ash falling from the sky. Leopold said, “it’s hard to avoid getting ash in your eyes while riding or even walking.” The fire never made it to Fort Collins, but the city still reaps some negative impacts from the fire. The forest fires experienced this year in Colorado are only the beginning of the consequences to come from Climate change and the human race’s inability to address it.