National forests close in five counties due to ‘unprecedented’ fire conditions
Closures apply to national forest land in Jefferson, Gilpin, Boulder, Clear Creek and Larimer counties
The Denver Post
Bethany Baker, Fort Collins Coloradoan via AP
DENVER — National forest lands in the Front Range, from Jefferson County to the Wyoming border, will close to visitors at midnight Tuesday due to the historic wildfires raging in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests.
The temporary closure applies to national forest service lands in Jefferson, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Boulder and Larimer counties and will be re-evaluated daily, according to a U.S. Forest Service news release.
The closures may be the biggest in the history of those forests. Reid Armstrong, public affairs specialist for the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, said they are the “biggest we are aware of,” exceeding closures caused by historic flooding in 2013 that struck the Front Range and inundated the town of Lyons.
The closures were prompted by the Cameron Peak, CalWood and Lefthand Canyon fires. The Cameron Peak fire was first reported Aug. 13 and currently exceeds 205,000 acres, making it the largest in state history. The CalWood fire was first reported last Saturday and the Lefthand Canyon fire was reported Sunday.
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