Wildfire — Rio Grande, Colorado

2002-06-19 to 2002-06-30 · near South Fork, Rio Grande, Colorado

Wider weather episode

The Million Fire started in a rolled up section of illegally dumped sod. It is not known for sure whether the sod spontaneously combusted or was set on fire by a human. The fire spread rapidly with dry conditions and high winds. The 9300 acre fire totally destroyed 11 high end residences. Six residences were heavily damaged, and 2 outbuildings were destroyed. The fire was contained on July 4th. It cost nearly 3 1/2 million dollars to fight the fire.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5300465. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.