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The Grizzly Creek Fire Is The Second Most Expensive Wildfire In Colorado This Year

Grizzly Creek Fire
As of Monday, Aug. 31, the Grizzly Creek Fire has cost more than $25 million. The cost of aircraft alone is about $8 million.

The Grizzly Creek Fire that sparked three weeks ago on Aug. 10 has now burned over 32,000 acres and is 73% contained. 

As of Monday, Aug. 31, the wildfire is now the second most expensive in Colorado this year, costing about $25.5 million. The Pine Gulch Fire, which has been burning north of Grand Junction since late July, is more than four times the size and the most expensive at $28 million.  

White River National Forest Supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams said it’s normal for a wildfire like Grizzly Creek to cost that much because of the rugged terrain and the number of houses and valuable structures nearby, like the Shoshone Power Plant. What’s not normal, Fitzwilliams said, is the number and size of wildfires in our region. 

“The largest fires in Colorado’s recent history have all occurred in less than 20 years,” he explained.

Fitzwilliams said that taxpayers need to be proactive if they want to avoid spending millions of dollars salvaging their homes and land from future wildfires.

“We’re in a situation where we have a changing climate and a growing population -- more people, more development,” Fitzwilliams said. “We’re going to have more large fires.”

He suggested that planning wildland-urban developments with wildfires in mind and burning less fossil fuels are long term strategies that might take policy to change. In the meantime, he said homeowners can reduce fire risk by clearing out dry fuels and vegetation, including trees and bushes, around their homes.

Fire officials will be holding a live community meeting on the Grizzly Creek Fire Facebook page on Monday, Aug. 31 at 6 p.m.

Eleanor is an award-winning journalist and "Morning Edition" anchor. She has reported on a wide range of topics in her community, including the impacts of federal immigration policies on local DACA recipients, creative efforts to solve the valley's affordable housing crisis, and hungry goats fighting climate change across the West through targeted grazing. Connecting with people from all walks of life and creating empathic spaces for them to tell their stories fuels her work.