Tag Archives: Fourmile Canyon

Behind the scenes photos show the Fourmile Canyon Fire battle

A slurry bomber drops retardant on the Fourmile Canyon Fire. (USFS)
A slurry bomber drops retardant on the Fourmile Canyon Fire. (USFS) View more images in the slideshow below.

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 areaVideo 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. 

Slideshow: The behind the scenes battle against the Fourmile Canyon Fire. Below are links to other slideshows we published on Examiner.com over the past week.

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Fire burning in Fourmile Canyon sends smoke over Thornton

The Fourmile Canyon Fire sent smoke over Thornton on Monday. (ThorntonWeather.com)
The Fourmile Canyon Fire sent smoke over Thornton on Monday. (ThorntonWeather.com)

A fast moving wildfire burning northwest of Boulder sent smoke over Thornton on monday and more is expected today.  The Fourmile Canyon Fire started late Monday morning and has burned 3,500 acres thus far. 

Tinder dry fuels, low humidity, warm temperatures and gusty winds fueled the Fourmile Canyon Fire yesterday as it grew quickly. Firefighters took up defensive positions trying to save what homes they could but many were reduced to cinder.

More than 100 firefighters are on scene with 35 engines from 30 local agencies. Boulder County Fire is acting as the primary agency for the fire.

High winds prevented air tankers with retardant from operating for most of the day but the wind eased in the late afternoon and evening allowing some operations. 18 flights by three tankers were carried out before the sun set and they were able to drop 40,000 gallons of retardant on the fast moving fire.

Four additional tankers arrived Monday and will begin operations today, weather permitting.

We are updating the Denver Weather Examiner with all the latest news and photos from the fire.  Please visit there for all the latest.