STATE OF COLORADO EXPERIENCES WORST WILDFIRE SEASON IN 2020

Payne Institute Earth Observation Group has the capability to look at the devastation created by fires with their VIIRS Nightfire systems.    2020 was the worst fire season on record for the State of Colorado. The Cameron Peak Fire, rated as the state’s largest, broke records by consuming 208,663 acres, forced evacuation of over 20,000 residents, and burnt a sizeable portion of Rocky Mountain National Park. Not far behind was the Pine Gulch fire, which burnt 139,007 acres. In total, 625,356 acres burnt in 2020 across Colorado.  June 14, 2021.