Gold Mountain Fire continues to burn
The Gold Mountain Fire is burning over 37,000 acres, with 11% containment. Most of the fire activity is occurring in the Middle and West Forks of the Cimarron and south to Turret Ridge. Northeast winds from afternoon thunderstorm activity continued to push the fire into already blackened areas. As a result, most of the fire activity occurred in the interior with some single and group tree torching.
The plan and implementation of building indirect firelines to the north and northeast of the fire’s progression was initiated by the previous incident management team assigned to the Gold Mountain Fire. When RM CIMT 2 took command of the fire, the work continued providing a seamless transition in accomplishing objectives of the strategic actions put in place. Officials said on Wednesday that thunderstorm activity would slowly getting stronger with increased lightning throughout the week. But moisture has been and will likely continue to be minimal. Temperatures are reduced with the cloud cover, and relative humidities continue to rise.
Electric vehicle owners in rural areas struggle to find chargers
Electric vehicles are increasingly part of the Western landscape. Many traverse long rural highways that stretch for hundreds of lonely miles. For drivers, it can be a harrowing experience driving between chargers. The Mountain West News Bureau's Kaleb Roedel tags along for a summer road trip across Nevada in an EV.
Coloradans who lost their homes in Marshall Fire faced tough decisions when it came time to rebuild
More than 330 homes have been destroyed in Colorado wildfires this summer, most of them in the Aspen Acres Fire near Pueblo.
For the families who lost everything, the recovery will take years... and they'll face difficult decisions about whether, where and how to rebuild.
Nearly five years ago, the Marshall Fire outside Boulder destroyed more than a thousand homes.
Many of those families have since returned, and have learned hard lessons about rebuilding after a wildfire.
For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, KGNU's Lily Sharp reports on one family that chose to build back in a more sustainable... and more fire-resistant... way.
