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<br />"The Black Tiger fire was <br />not extraordinary in <br />problems; it is typical." <br /> <br />Chapter One: <br />The Colorado Situation <br /> <br />1994 Wildfire Season - One of the Worst <br /> <br />A disturbing pattern has emerged in Colorado. Large intense fires threaten <br />or destroy homes, disrupt public facilities and utilities, and cause an <br />increasing number of communities to be evacuated. The situation has <br />progressively worsened over the last ten years. The 1994 wildfire season <br />in Colorado was one of the worst on record. Never were so many <br />communities threatened by wildfires. Never were so many lives lost trying <br />to contain the wildfires. Never were so many dollars spent paying <br />fire fighting costs during a single year. And acreage burned was the worst <br />m years. <br /> <br /> <br />Excluding federal land ownerships, 1994 recorded: <br />. 3,158 wildfires reported to the State Forester. <br />. 52,125 burned acres reported to the State Forester. <br />. 17 homes and state buildings destroyed. <br />. A college campus heavily damaged by wildfire. <br />. Numerous outbuildings destroyed. <br />. Total exhaustion of emergency fire trust funds and the <br />necessity for extra state funding. <br />For federal, state and local fire agencies: <br />. 14 firefighters dead, <br />. Shortages of critical air and ground firefighting forces for new wildfires. <br />. Firefighting costs of more than 20 million dollars, <br />. Loss and damages to improvements and natural resources in uncounted <br />millions of dollars. <br /> <br />I <br />