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Horrible wildfires in Colorado...

Turkey Track Bar

Well-known member
My thoughts and prayers are going out to the folks in Colorado who have faced 24 hours of destruction.

It sounds like the little Southeastern Colorado town of Ordway has just about been decimated by a prairie fire, with Rocky Ford in the fire's sights if they didn't get it slowed down last night. From the news reports, it sounds like there are bad fire situations in the Ft. Carson Military Base area and in mountain town of Carbondale too.

I have quite a few college friends in the Ordway/Rocky Ford area, and am praying they are safe this morning.

We are very concerned about prairie fires here. All that nice tall old grass we have is dry as a bone. We still have vivid memories of our bad prairie fires two years ago that dry lightning started in our old grass.

Please be safe out there, and keep those in Colorado, and other areas battling range fires in your thoughts and prayers.

Praying everyone is safe...

TTB :wink:
 

Northern Rancher

Well-known member
The indian reserve south of us was burning off grass this weekend-I don't how they get away with it but they seems to be able to burn all the grass and none of the houses. It looked pretty crazy watching the hills all ablaze with a fire lit on purpose. I guess enough snow in the trees to stop it. I can't imagine what it is like in Colorado I get antsy camping in the bush if it's dry during hunting season. I always make sure to pack matches so I can backfire if I'm out on the prairies.
 

Jassy

Well-known member
I think we're getting the smoke from the CO fires tonite...It sure got hazy and smokey smelling late this afternoon...at least I hope that's what it's from,,,I haven't heard of any fires close by...Sure do hope everyone is ok...
 

High Plains

Well-known member
Yes indeed, that's a bad situation for those folks in Colorado. Seems like the state has all but burned up entirely in the past several years.

Here in the Kansas Flint Hills the ranchers are pretty far along with all of their pasture burning. It's always amazing to me that this management tactic works so well in this part of the world. That grass comes back almost immediately and looks like a big green carpet. It's beautiful. Being from short-grass country, I still get nervous when these guys go to setting the world a-blaze. They seem to know how to control their fires very well and hardly ever have trouble with things getting away. The fires seem to move nice and slow and nobody gets too excited. Windy days don't bother 'em any either, they just keep on burning and it looks like they know what they're doing for sure. Maybe somebody like Jiggs can tell us a secret or two about how this is properly done. I'm not recommending it to my short-grass brethren, this big bluestem grass thrives on annual burning and is unique to this area.

HP
 

I Luv Herfrds

Well-known member
Pretty bad news around here. A pilot from our town was killed down there in a single engine aircraft that was dropping retartdent.
I didn't know him, but I met his wife through our kids pre-school.
 

Shortgrass

Well-known member
I've been gone for three days, so I just read this thread. At the fire at Ordway, two volunteers were killed when a truck ahead of them had crossed a bridge, the bridge collapsed because the supports had burned. Their PU went into the ravine, and burst into flames. One of the men's father was following and saw it all come down. Many homes burned. about 24 were badly damaged or totally lost. a mighty rough time down there. The Montana pilot was killed on the Ft. Carson fire. A fisherman was badly burned in the Carbondale fire.
 
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