Recent Dry Weather in Colorado Aided Rare Winter Fire
2022-01-04
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1It is rare to see a big, winter fire in Colorado like the one that burned 24 square kilometers of land and homes outside the city of Denver last week.
2Usually, the ground is covered with snow in December.
3However, scientists say a long, dry period in the state helped the fire move quickly.
4Some say winter fires will become more common because of a changing climate.
5The fire is being called the Marshall fire because it started near Marshall Road near Boulder, Colorado.
6Local newspapers say, as of Sunday, two people were missing and seven were injured.
7Nearly 1,000 homes burned and over 100 were damaged.
8The fires are becoming more dangerous as homes are built in areas that once were farms or rural areas.
9Jonathan Overpeck is a professor who studies the environment at the University of Michigan.
10He said winter fires like the Marshall fire are not common.
11He said "things are going to ... get worse unless we stop climate change."
12Tens of thousands of people were told to leave the area northwest of Denver when the fire spread quickly last Thursday.
13Strong winds of over 160 kilometers per hour pushed the flames.
14Susy Pringle lives in the area.
15She said she was in a food store, walked out, and had to get in her car and "make a dash" for her life as the smoke and flames came close.
16Keith Musselman studies snow and water in nearby Boulder, Colorado.
17He said if snow had been on the ground, as it often is in December, the fire would not have spread.
18Jennifer Balch is a fire scientist at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
19She said the dry ground, warm weather, an ignition source, and the strong wind created "a disaster."
20Balch said a wet spring caused wild grass to grow tall, while the dry summer and autumn made it burn easily.
21She added that the time for fire danger in Colorado is now longer than in the past because of climate change.
22In addition, the area northwest of Denver has many more homes today than in the past.
23Thousands of new houses have been built since the 1990s in the area from Denver to Fort Collins, a distance of about 100 kilometers.
24Balch said the homes can catch on fire and people can get hurt more easily.
25In her explanation, Balch said that there are many more people in the area than before.
26A recent study by the University of Colorado showed that 97 percent of wildfires were started by people.
27She said people need to start thinking about how their daily activities can start a fire.
28And now that people are living in areas that used to be rural, she said, big fires like the Marshall fire are going to be more common.
29"It's just a matter of time before we have whole towns burning down like we had in California and events like this in Colorado."
30I'm Jill Robbins.
1It is rare to see a big, winter fire in Colorado like the one that burned 24 square kilometers of land and homes outside the city of Denver last week. 2Usually, the ground is covered with snow in December. However, scientists say a long, dry period in the state helped the fire move quickly. Some say winter fires will become more common because of a changing climate. 3The fire is being called the Marshall fire because it started near Marshall Road near Boulder, Colorado. Local newspapers say, as of Sunday, two people were missing and seven were injured. Nearly 1,000 homes burned and over 100 were damaged. 4The fires are becoming more dangerous as homes are built in areas that once were farms or rural areas. 5Jonathan Overpeck is a professor who studies the environment at the University of Michigan. He said winter fires like the Marshall fire are not common. He said "things are going to ... get worse unless we stop climate change." 6Tens of thousands of people were told to leave the area northwest of Denver when the fire spread quickly last Thursday. Strong winds of over 160 kilometers per hour pushed the flames. 7Susy Pringle lives in the area. She said she was in a food store, walked out, and had to get in her car and "make a dash" for her life as the smoke and flames came close. 8Keith Musselman studies snow and water in nearby Boulder, Colorado. He said if snow had been on the ground, as it often is in December, the fire would not have spread. 9Jennifer Balch is a fire scientist at the University of Colorado in Boulder. She said the dry ground, warm weather, an ignition source, and the strong wind created "a disaster." 10Balch said a wet spring caused wild grass to grow tall, while the dry summer and autumn made it burn easily. She added that the time for fire danger in Colorado is now longer than in the past because of climate change. 11In addition, the area northwest of Denver has many more homes today than in the past. Thousands of new houses have been built since the 1990s in the area from Denver to Fort Collins, a distance of about 100 kilometers. Balch said the homes can catch on fire and people can get hurt more easily. 12In her explanation, Balch said that there are many more people in the area than before. A recent study by the University of Colorado showed that 97 percent of wildfires were started by people. 13She said people need to start thinking about how their daily activities can start a fire. 14And now that people are living in areas that used to be rural, she said, big fires like the Marshall fire are going to be more common. 15"It's just a matter of time before we have whole towns burning down like we had in California and events like this in Colorado." 16I'm Jill Robbins. 17Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by Martha Bellisle of the Associated Press. 18Are you worried about big fires where you live? What are people doing to prevent them? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 19____________________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21dash - v. to run or move quickly or suddenly 22ignition - n. the act of causing something to start burning : the act of igniting something