2 fires reported 30 minutes apart in Fort Collins may have been intentionally set

Fire damaged two Fort Collins businesses early Friday morning and it's possible both fires were intentionally set, according to the Poudre Fire Authority. The agency posted about the fires on their Facebook page. Firefighters were initially dispatched to a fire in the 600 block of South College Street at 3:26 a.m. Friday. A second fire was reported about 30 minutes later in the 100 block of West Laurel Street. Those two locations are within walking distance of each other. Crews got both fires under control quickly and no injuries were reported, Poudre Fire said. Fort Collins Police are investigating both fires as potential arson and are expected to provide additional information later Friday morning.
KUSA-TV NBC 9 Denver

Sharing a storied drink: Colorado whiskey uses Aspen trees burned in East Troublesome Fire

VIDEO: Tucked away in the mountains of Grand County is C Lazy U Ranch, a guest ranch that's been around since 1919. The land is stunning in a quintessential Colorado fashion — with a burn scar still visible throughout the property. The burn scar is from the 2020 East Troublesome Fire. The Director of Ranch Operations, Mike Cullen, remembers that fire vividly. "In that moment, it was scary. But we had a lot of work to do, and we were making sure we were protecting the ranch," Cullen said. "We had a great heads up from our local fire department and from the emergency services, so we were able to get out of here in time. And they gave us a good heads up so we could move our livestock, our horses, our entire team." Jeremy Belnap, the general manager of the ranch, said after surviving a wildfire there are many aspects of life taken into consideration that were not noticed before the destruction. For Belnap, one of those is the resilience of Aspen groves.
KMGH-TV ABC 7 Denver

1 rescued by firefighters after rollover crash in Colorado Springs

A rollover crash is under investigation in Colorado Springs Friday morning. Around 5:30 a.m. Friday, the Colorado Springs Fire Department responded near Old Stage Road and Compass Point in the southwestern part of the city to a rollover crash. One person was rescued by firefighters after being trapped in the vehicle. They were taken to the hospital, but the extent of their injuries is still unknown. Colorado Springs police are investigating whether speed or alcohol were factors in the crash.
KKTV CBS 11 Colorado Springs

Arvada Fire, Fairmount Fire Protection District urge voters to support proposed merger

Arvada Fire and the Fairmount Fire Protection District are urging voters to support a merger of the departments. Amber Oeltjenbruns with Fairmount Fire said district operations have become more difficult over the past several years. "Everything changed, right? We know that in the last several years, everything's gone up. That's no exception for our fire service. Our apparatus is more expensive, our supplies are more expensive," said Oeltjenbruns. Normally, it takes 17 firefighters to respond to a scene, according to the district. At any given time, Fairmount has seven and often has to rely on neighboring fire departments for help. "We're only able to give our community 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ambulance services," Oeltjenbruns said.
KMGH-TV ABC 7 Denver

Colorado spending $6.9 million to buy two firefighting helicopters and equipment

VIDEO: Helicopters are critical to fighting wildfires in Colorado. For years now, the state has contracted them to help fight fires. Now, Colorado is buying two Bell 205 helicopters so it doesn’t have to share resources with places like California and New Mexico. "Historically, Colorado has relied on an interstate pool of aircraft, and we have on occasion contracted or leased for a period of time aircraft that we can control," Democratic Governor Jared Polis said at a press conference in April. The governor and the head of the state fire agency held a press conference last month assuring everyone Colorado is more prepared for fires than ever. "We're shifting our resources to a model that allows us to respond more effectively to what is no longer just a wildfire season," said Mike Morgan, the head of the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control.
KUSA-TV NBC 9 Denver