Fast-moving flames scorch 14, 750 acres in eastern Colorado

PHOTO SAM GEORGE The 12-mile-wide fire moved so quickly through the sand hills and open rangeland that it pushed right past some structures without igniting them. The fire ultimately burned nearly 15,000 acres.

PHOTO SAM GEORGE Heavy smoke poured into the town of Wray, forcing the evacuation of two schools.

At approximately 1245 hrs on March 1, a fire was reported to the Washington/Yuma Communications Center in northeast Colorado. The initial location of the fire was reported to be a grass field 11 miles north of Eckley; however, with the 40-plus-mph winds fanning the flames, the fire moved so fast that first responders had a difficult time pinpointing the fire's exact location. "No one could get a handle on where it was," says Norland Hall, the district forester in the Fort Morgan office of the Colorado State Forest Service. "We'd go to where we thought it was and people would tell us, ‘Ten seconds ago, it was right here. Now it's way up the road.'"

The 12-mile-wide fire quickly swept southeast through sand hills and open rangeland toward the rural areas around the town of Wray. As heavy black smoke poured into town, students and faculty from both Wray High School and Wray Grade School were evacuated. Residents living in the rural areas near the fire were notified by reverse 911 of the threat, and told to evacuate.

The following 13 Colorado fire departments responded to the Yuma County Fire: Eckley, Wray, Wages, Yuma, Holyoke, Sandhills, Idalia, Wauneta, Joes, Kirk, Amherst, Armel and Vernon; the Haigler and Benkelman fire departments responded from Nebraska. Other responding agencies included the Yuma County Sheriff's Office, the Wray and Yuma police departments, the Colorado State Patrol, Wray and Yuma Ambulance Services, the Colorado Division of Emergency Management and the Northeast Colorado Health Department. Hall adds that there was a heavy response from farmers in the area who showed up with anything they could get their hands on, from shovels to water trucks. In addition, one helicopter and one spray plane aided firefighting efforts.

Hall explains that the volunteer fire departments in this area are accustomed to battling 100-acre fires they can get under control right away. "This one moved so fast and just kept going," he says. "This is a one-in-20-year fire. But a lot of good people did a lot of real good work to make the progress they made."

Adding to the problems chasing down the fire: The sandy area where the fire burned is home to a natural gas well farm. Hall says there are many little roads for the farm that aren't on anyone's maps. On a few occasions, firefighters would drive down one road and soon discover it was a dead end, forcing them to turn back.

Hall explains the wind may have actually aided structure protection. "I heard the wind was blowing so hard it just pushed the fire past structures—it didn't have time to ignite anything," he says. However, the fire did burn seven structures, none of which were being used as a residence. The closest structural damage to Wray involved three buildings at the fish hatchery, located approximately three miles west and one mile north of the town. The remaining four structures were all rural buildings spread throughout the fire's path.

By the end of the day, the winds died down, helping firefighters get the blaze under control. The fire ultimately burned 14,750 acres. Hall adds that during the six hours the fire burned, it traveled 20 miles and came within a mile of Wray. "That's 41 acres per minute," he adds. "The folks out here just don't see fires like this."

Four firefighters sustained injuries battling the fire. Two suffered injuries related to smoke inhalation; the other two suffered burns. All four were taken to the Wray hospital. Two were treated and released with minor injuries and the other two were admitted.

Hall says the fire was likely caused when high winds blew two powerlines together, causing them to arch and creating sparks in the dry grass. He adds that fire personnel will work with area departments over the next few months to address how they can better prepare for future incidents of this size. This is especially important, he says, because of the ominous outlook for the Colorado fire season.

Hall explains that this is Colorado's seventh straight drought year and despite the snow and rain that fell in mid and late March, "next week could be dry as hell." He adds that 2002 was a terrible year for fires in Colorado, and this year is stacking up to be even worse: "If you loved 2002, you're going to love 2006."