Colorado is having its worst wildfire season in over a decade with many of the fires threatening major population centers. Check the bolded sentence from this story below:

Half the nation’s firefighting fleet is now battling fires in Colorado, said Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper. He said C-130 military transport planes from Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs would begin assisting on Monday.

With eight wildfires burning, including a fire that has scorched more than 118 square miles and destroyed at least 191 homes near Fort Collins, Colorado is having its worst wildfire season in a decade.

These wildfires are spread across the front range of Colorado from Ft. Collins in the north (home of my alma mater Colorado State University) to Colorado Springs in the south. Fires are also blazing in Southwestern Colorado and near the mining communities of Leadville and Alma not far from many ski resorts.

Some video from the High Park fire in Northern Colorado:

In total, 8 wildfires are blazing in Colorado, involving nearly a hundred thousand acres and requiring the evacuation of thousands of people. High temperatures in the upper 90’s and in some places over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and wind have contributed to the difficulty firefighters are facing in combating these out of control fires. An eerie red glow can be seen emanating behind the front range mountains and foothills and great pillars of smoke.

Other fires are to be found in Utah, New Mexico, and California. This is only June. What might we see in the coming months. For me personally, a former resident of Colorado who lived there for nearly 30 years of my life this is a tragedy. I know many of the places that are burning or may soon be overwhelmed with smoke and flames. Pikes Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park, The Garden of the Gods — these are places I have visited, seen, camped in. My heart is breaking at the scenes of devastation I’ve witnesses in videos and pictures.