Northwest of Glenwood Springs, Colorado, White River National Forest Killed 3 firefighters in a burn over and 1 pilot in an airtanker crash. Largest Colorado wildfire at the time until surpassed by the Emerald Lake fire in 1980. Immediately south of Gold Hill, Colorado. Helicopter crashed while working on this fire. Pike National Forest, southwest of Cheeseman LakeĮscaped prescribed fire that jumped the South Platte River.Ĭomanche Reservoir, Roosevelt National Forest Rocky Mountain National Park, northwest of Glen Haven, ColoradoĪrapaho National Forest, Clear Creek County, Colorado. Southwest of Idaho Springs, Colorado, in the Arapaho National Forest, Clear Creek County. Roosevelt National Forest, north of Red Feather Lakes.īurned in an area so rugged in the Rio Grande National Forest that firefighters had to hike in five miles from the nearest road. Although reports claim the fire was over 45 square miles in size, this number was likely exaggerated.ĭouglas Mountain, Moffat County, Colorado Glendevey, Colorado, Roosevelt National Forest.ĭestroyed 89 buildings in and around Camp Carson and killed 8 people. Platoro, Colorado, Rio Grande National Forest.Įast of Yampa, Colorado, Routt National Forest. Granite, Colorado, San Isabel National Forest. Northwest of Red Feather Lakes, Colorado, Roosevelt National Forest. West of Tolland, Colorado, Moffat Tunnel east portal.Įast of Tolland, Colorado, Roosevelt National Forest. South of Bailey, Colorado, Pike National Forest. Winter Park, Colorado, Moffat Tunnel west portal. Acreage of fires that are partly in Colorado are indicated in red. All fires greater than 40,000 acres (16,187 ha) and all but one over 20,000 acres (8,094 ha) occurred in the 21st century. Notable fires from before 1980 are also included, sourced mainly from old newspapers and records. According to CSU, wildfires in Colorado burned less than 100,000 acres (40,469 ha) per decade over the 1960s and the 1970s. Colorado State University (CSU) has information on named fires from 1976 to 2006 and total wildfires from 1960 to 2009. This list only covers the largest, most destructive fires in Colorado history. With multiple record-breaking fires, the 2020 Colorado wildfire season became the largest in the state's history after burning 665,454 acres (269,300 ha). The 2013 Colorado forest fires, fueled by high heat and winds again broke the record for the most destructive and included what was the second largest fire (by area) in Colorado history until being surpassed by several fires in 2020. The 2012 Colorado forest fires broke the record for most destructive fire twice and led to declaration of a federal disaster area in June 2012. The Cameron Peak Fire became the largest wildfire in Colorado history seven weeks later, at a size of 206,667 burned acres as of October 21, 2020. Part of the 2002 Colorado wildfires that burned nearly 360,000 acres, the Hayman Fire was the largest wildfire in Colorado state history for nearly 20 years until the Pine Gulch Fire surpassed it in August 2020.

The Colorado State Forest Service was established by the Colorado General Assembly in 1955 and oversees response to wildfires in Colorado. The policy evolved over the 20th century. In that fire, 3 million acres burned and 78 firefighters were killed in the northern Rocky Mountains (in the states of Washington, Idaho, and Montana) which led to a standing policy in Colorado of all fires out by 10 am. One of the most significant fires in United States history was The Big Blowup of 1910. State of Colorado which have occurred periodically throughout its recorded history. This is a partial list of wildfires in the U.S. The location of the State of Colorado in the United States of America.

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