Much like words have been used to tell the story of the Fourmile Canyon Fire and its destructive power, so too have photos and video.  The U.S. Forest Service has released new photos taken by their crews that tell the story in a way that hasn’t been seen yet – from behind the fire lines. 

On Monday the Fourmile Canyon Fire quickly exploded and soon smoke covered the Denver metro area.  Video taken from a nearby mountain showed the orange glow of the flames as they advanced.  The ferocity of the fire was such that NOAA satellites captured images of the smoke as it traveled as far as Iowa. 

Over the week the fire became the worst in Colorado history in terms of the number of homes lost as 169 were destroyed.  Images taken by helicopter from above showed mountain properties reduced to cinder. 

The images taken by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) are stunning testaments to the bravery of the firefighters on the scene.  Photos of chainsaw wielding combatants, slurry bombers dropping their bright red retardant, and fire raging next to roadways tell the story from behind the lines. 

You can view the new images by clicking on the slideshow image below. 

Below are links to other slideshows we published on Examiner.com over the past week.

• Day 1 – Fast moving wildfire burns northwest of Boulder, Colorado
• Day 2 – Fourmile Canyon Fire burns thousands of acres in Colorado mountains
• Day 3 – Fire continues to rage in Fourmile Canyon near Boulder
• Day 4 – Fourmile Canyon Fire becomes most destructive in Colorado history
• From space – Satellite images show devastation of Fourmile Canyon Fire

Also be sure to check out these pages:

• Storm Prediction Center Fire Weather Outlook
• National Wildland Fire Activity and News