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People warned to reduce driving because of Colorado fires

calwood fire dfpc Cropped
Aerial view of the Calwood Fire; Photo: Colorado Department of Fire Prevention and Control

BOULDER, Colo. - People in Colorado’s most populated region are being asked to limit driving to avoid making air pollution caused by smoke wildfires even worse.

The state health department issued the warning Tuesday for the Denver and Boulder metro areas because of three fires burning in the area, including the Cameron Peak Fire. The 319 square-mile fire has been burning for over two months and is the largest in the state’s history.

A fire near Boulder, the CalWood Fire, has burned at least 20 homes.

Meanwhile, a fire about 20 miles northwest of Boulder led to the evacuation of at least 145 homes, including the small town of Ward.

State & Regional News / Wildfires

Associated Press

This article was provided by the Associated Press.



    1. The article clearly states that this warning was issued for “…the Denver and Boulder metro areas….” This is similar to the requests/warnings issued during winter months due to severe inversions, when fireplace restrictions are set in place and requests to limit driving are similarly asked for.

      This all comes down to the fact that the State must still comply with air quality standards, regardless of the source of the pollution. In this instance, not much can be done to counter the ash/smoke/particulates from all the fires; what can be controlled, to a certain point, is the amount of tailpipe emissions that are added to the air. It doesn’t help that the Denver/Boulder metro area is essentially a bowl area where everything happens to settle unless/until the winds are blowing. We can be thankful for the Palmer Divide, which tends to limit air flow from the Denver area and deflects it out to the east where it more easily disperses.

  1. What are they concerned about? Particulates or CO2? When a tree dies and begins to decompose by fungus, it turns oxygen into CO2 and consumes the tree/plant life. This fungi cycle doesn’t happen when a tree is charred black. The fire and the forest, over time, will likely break even with green house gas emissions as the burn scar will have less fungi and new growth

  2. I see the day when government makes us wear shock collars to make us be only where they want us to be.

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