KUNC.org
BOULDER, Colo. — Arizona’s Yarnell Hill fire claimed the lives of 13 firefighters. Colorado’s Waldo Canyon, Black Forest, and High Park fires were some of the costliest ever in terms of homes and property lost.
A better wildfire weather prediction system might saved more lives and property. The state of Colorado thinks so, and has agreed to beta test a new system pioneered by the Boulder-based National Center for Atmospheric Research, starting late in the 2016 fire season.
William Mahoney, deputy director of the research applications lab at NCAR, said the technology has the potential to make firefighters safer, because it combines two models: one that predicts weather and another that predicts fire.
Full story: Colorado Will Beta Test New Wildfire Prediction Model