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Burned hillside on the east bank of Vallecito Reservoir near Bayfield, Colorado in 2002. Mudslides are now a common occurrence in this area.
Wise Owl Did You Know?
In 2002, Colorado experienced its largest wildfires in the last century. Over 380,000 acres were burned!
Wildfires
Colorado experienced a devastating fire-flood cycle during 1996 when 12,000 acres of forested land in Jefferson County burned in the vicinity of the unincorporated community of Buffalo Creek. Just 2 months after the fire, a heavy rainstorm pounded the burned slopes with several inches of rain in a short period of time. Runoff swelled rapidly in Buffalo Creek (the stream running through the community) and several tributaries, causing massive flooding and debris flows. Peak flows in Buffalo Creek and the North Fork of the South Platte River reached epic levels; in fact, the peak flood flows at some locations estimated by CWCB staff were on the order of 10 times the 100-year flood. Significant property damage and two fatalities resulted from the flood disaster. Mitigation activities were set into motion by a proactive local group combined with assistance from the County and the CWCB. This experience served as a powerful reminder of the hydrologic impacts that wildfires can truly have in Colorado's forested areas.
 
Since that time, similar fire-flood cycles have occurred causing major damage in 2002 in the Hayman, Coal Seam, and Missionary Ridge burn areas. Those three fires consumed a tremendous amount of forested acreage. The Hayman Fire alone burned 144,000 acres southwest of Denver. The CWCB has collaborated with the USGS, FEMA, and local governments to prepare "post-wildfire" flood hazard mapping for informational and, in some cases, regulatory purposes. We believe that this information is the first of its type in the nation.