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<br />Appendix B
<br />Description of Several Disaster Wildfires In Colorado
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<br />I. ,Wake Fire of 1994
<br />A. Generallnformation
<br />The ftre area lies in Delta County between the towns of
<br />Hotchkiss and Paonia in western Colorado. Elevation of the
<br />ftre ranges from 5800 to 8000 feet. Natural fuels are thick
<br />pinyon, juniper and sagebrush in the draws between the flat
<br />mesas at lower elevations, irrigated crops on the flat mesas,
<br />and oakbrush at higher elevation above the mesas. The
<br />entire area is on the south,facing slope of the Grand Mesa.
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<br />Land use is agricultural on the stair,step mesas, small towns
<br />in the wide valleys, and a mixture of public and private
<br />lands. More recently, homes have been built in the thick
<br />pinyon,juniper in the draws and canyons between the
<br />mesas.
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<br />B. Weather Conditions
<br />Weather was unusually hot with daytime temperatures near
<br />or over 100 degrees for days. Precipitation in June was far
<br />less than normal. All western Colorado was under the same
<br />drought influence, and dry, gusty winds from the southwest
<br />deserts were common. State and federal govemments
<br />ordered restrictions on open burning the week before. Dry
<br />thunderstorms were common and were setting numerous
<br />new fires each day. Heavy lightning occurred in the ftre
<br />area on July 2 and 3.
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<br />C. Description of the Event
<br />The fire was ftrst reported at I :30 p.m. on July 4, 1994 and
<br />was one of several new fires reported from the lightning
<br />storms the day before. First responders were the Paonia
<br />Volunteer Fire Department, Delta County Sheriff and
<br />Montrose District of the Bureau of Land Management. The
<br />ftre grew to 20 acres in size by I :45 and was burning hot
<br />and fast in the thick pinyon and juniper. Gusty west winds
<br />and hot, dry conditions swept the fire rapidly east. The
<br />Wake Fire was a typical pinyon,juniper fire: burning
<br />furiously and rapidly in the day, appeared to nearly go out
<br />at night, and then roaring to life again the next day.
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<br />Air tankers, I2 smokejumpers, and 8 more rural ftre
<br />deparnnents were deployed in the next four hours despite
<br />other fires in the area. A Type 2 incident overhead team,
<br />numerous crews and ftre resources from throughout
<br />Colorado, the state Emergency Fire Suppression Fund,
<br />assistance from the U. S. Army at Fort Carson, and FEMA
<br />also became involved.
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<br />town was not harmed by the fire. Coal mines one half mile
<br />to the northeast were also threatened but did not burn.
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<br />During the next two days, the fire destroyed three
<br />residences and damaged two others. Also destroyed were
<br />three outbuildings, the relay and transmitter building and
<br />towers for four television stations and two radio stations,
<br />the Sunshine Mesa Domestic Water Association
<br />chlorination building and equipment, one and one,half
<br />miles of powerline, telephone lines and six miles of fence.
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<br />The ftre was fully contained July 8 and was finally
<br />extinguished July 10. At the close of the incident, 3846
<br />acres of crops and watershed had also burned, some on
<br />steep slopes above Paonia and the Roberts/Stucker
<br />Irrigation Ditch. Mud slides on steep slopes were feared but
<br />did not materialize.
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<br />Total fire suppression costs were around $1.5 million.
<br />Damages to improvements were estimated to be $844,000.
<br />Rehabilitation and reseeding costs for the lands were
<br />estimated to be $330,000.
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<br />II. South Canyon Fire of 1994
<br />A. General Information
<br />The ftre area is along the north side of the Colorado River
<br />and highway 1,70 in Garfield County in western Colorado.
<br />Terrain is rough, very steep and sharply divided by deep,
<br />narrow canyons and knife-edge ridges. Slopes are dry,
<br />mostly south,facing. Vegetation is Gambel's oak (brush)
<br />with some scattered pinyon and juniper trees and sagebrush.
<br />Vegetation is much thicker in draws than on ridgetops. No
<br />homes or improvements are in the fire area, except along I,
<br />70 itself and in towns.
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<br />B. Weather Conditions
<br />Weather was nearly identical to that of the Wake Fire in
<br />Delta County. It had been unusually hot with daytime
<br />temperatures near or over 100 degrees for days.
<br />Precipitation in June was far less than normal. Dry, gusty
<br />winds from the southwest deserts were common.
<br />Restrictions on open ftres went into effect the week before.
<br />Dry thunderstorms were common and were setting
<br />numerous new fires each day.
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<br />C. Description of the Event
<br />The ftre was ignited by lightning July 2, 1994 on BLM land
<br />More residents and improvements were threatened as the near Storm King Mountain, about 7 miles west,northwest
<br />Wake Fire headed east toward the town of Paonia. The of Glenwood Springs, Colorado. It was one of many new
<br />Incident Command Post was evacuated and re-established ftres that overwhelmed wildftre forces, and its remote
<br />at the county fairgrounds in Hotchkiss. The homes on Pitkin location and low threat made it a low priority for the scarce
<br />Mesa on the western edge of Paonia were threatened but the initial attack fire forces.
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