Colorado Wildfires: Snow Hits Cameron Peak, Fire Advances to East Side of Rocky Mountain National Park

Snow fell on Colorado, dampening the wildfire and slowing its spread for at least a few days. 

In the northern part of Cameron Peak, the fire had 12 inches of rain by Sunday afternoon, while the southeast portion received 7 to 12 inches, Paul Delmerico, the operations section chief said. 

Estes Park also had four to six inches of snow, and more snow was falling by Sunday afternoon. 

READ: Climate Change: Unborn Children From Morwell Fire Has Increased Risk of Respiratory Infection 

No Fire Activity Due to Snowstorm 

According to Delmerico, "we do not anticipate any fire growth or any fire activity today or tomorrow with this storm." He said that this is good news for firefighters on the ground.

About three to four inches of snow had fallen in areas of East Troublesome fire by Sunday afternoon. Forecasters expected that the area would have another four to eight inches of snow by Sunday afternoon. Temperatures are expected to stay cold Monday and may increase by Tuesday.

The snow is expected to decrease fire activity for a time, but rains are needed to put the fire out fully. Fire officials expect that fire activity would increase this week as temperatures rise, and the areas become dry again. 

Cameron Peak Fire 

As of Sunday, the Cameron Peak fire has raged 208,663 acres and was contained by 64 percent. The fires are still burning in the Roosevelt National Forest and are by far the largest recorded wildfire in Colorado's history. 

Windy conditions intensified fire behavior in Pingree Park, near the Comanche Reservoir, North Folk Trail, and west of Glen Haven. As fires grew, firefighters focused their efforts on protecting structures and strengthening containment lines.

READ ALSO: Thousands Evacuate as Red Flag Level Wildfires in Colorado Continue Wreaking Havoc 

East Troublesome Fire 

The East Troublesome fire burns the north of Granby and into Rocky Mountain National Park and is burning southwest of Cameron Peak fire. As of Sunday, it had burned 192,560 acres. Only 10 percent was contained.

On Saturday, winds drove the fire east, prompting authorities to issue new evacuation orders for residents of Estes Park. As dangerous fire conditions grew, firefighters focused on the protection of structures and strengthening indirect containment lines near Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. 

Containing the fire west of Bear Lake Road was successful, and the snow is expected to stop its spread. 

Planning for Unprecedented Fires 

Grand County Sheriff Brett Schroetlin said on Sunday press briefing that they did not expect fires to burn 100,000 acres in one night. He said that 2020 is indeed a unique fire season, and they have to plan for the unprecedented. 

He said that the crews have been assessing damage to subdivisions and homes around Grand Lake. They will inform residents on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning if their properties have survived the fire or not. He did not release the number of damaged structures as the count was still preliminary but said that "a lot of homes" were destroyed.

Residents of Granby and Hot Sulfur Springs were given pre-evacuation and evacuation orders on Sunday. He hoped that the evacuation orders for Grand Lake would be lifted by Monday. 

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