by Peter Mertz
ASPEN, the United States, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- With the eyes of the world focused on the havoc caused by the horrific wildfires in California, Colorado has escaped notice despite passing through its worst fire season since 2013.
"It's been a bad year in Colorado, and we're not out of the woods yet," firefighter Jeff Blevins told Xinhua Tuesday as 13 major wildfires still raged across the state.
The Spring Creek Fire, now the third largest fire in state history, had gutted over 400 square km and destroyed or damaged at least 250 homes before most of it was contained as of Tuesday. However, no lives were lost to date.
A 52-year-old illegal immigrant from Denmark was arrested for causing the blaze that erupted on July 1, and faces charges of arson.
On July 3, the Lake Christine Fire started near the enclave of Aspen, where 48 square km has burned so far. More than 400 firefighters from across the nation fought to put out the blaze, which was 75 percent contained as of Monday, according to Inciweb, the national incident information system for wildfires.
The last time a wildfire of this magnitude hit this area in the heart of the Rocky Mountains was in 1994 when 14 firefighters died as the winds suddenly changed direction.
The fire was allegedly ignited by two persons firing tracer bullets at a shooting range, according to police.
In Aspen, an average home costs 4.2 million U.S. dollars, as it is home to many celebrities, including golf legend Greg Norman, whose video tweets Monday showing trees exploding near his house went viral on Twitter.
"My family and I cannot thank them (firefighters) enough for their bravery and efforts yesterday," Norman tweeted from his ranch west of Aspen.
The state's first major wildfire this year, the 416 Fire that started on June 1, is still burning, with only 50 percent of it contained, according to Inciweb.
The cause of the fire, the sixth largest in state history, is still under investigation. The blaze has crushed tourism revenue for businesses in this scenic, southwestern part of the state, and has cost more than 30 million dollars to contain, U.S. Forest Service officials reported earlier this month.
The two-month battle has been aided tremendously by new technology geared specifically to stop wildfires.
Approved for use this year by federal government officials, a converted Boeing 747 passenger jet has been dropping over 75,000 liters of water or retardant in one pass on large-scale blazes since late last week.
With the worst of the 2018 fire season apparently over, Colorado officials are now issuing statewide warnings for possible flash flooding due to the scorched earth left by the wildfires.
Communities in Manitou Springs were evacuated last week because of flash flooding due to rainwater "going straight down into residential neighborhoods," said Micki Trost with the Colorado division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Trost told reporters Friday that the 416 Fire and Spring Creek Fire have already produced flash floods, and that "flooding is almost inevitable after wildfires."
