Wildfire

Experts worry a devastating wildfire in New Mexico, partly started by a controlled burn that got out of control, may create a backlash against this important forest management tool.

KSUT strives to keep you updated on the air and on our website. Here's some online resources for accurate, timely wildfire information.

Many people move without realizing the danger that wildfires pose to their new home. A new risk rating system could help buyers learn more on real estate sites.

New Mexico faces a long and potentially devastating wildfire season, said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, as Southwestern wildfires cause destruction and force people from their homes.

The Marshall Fire tore through suburbs on Colorado’s Front Range on Dec. 30, destroying 991 structures and damaging 127. The ignition point and cause is still under investigation. But there is little question that climate change-induced drought, weather whiplash, and warming temperatures set the stage for the wintertime conflagration.

A study of fires in the San Juan National Forest showed that people don’t start the majority of southwest Colorado’s wildfires, but those they do ignite are near roads and hiking trails.

The biggest wildfires in Colorado, which have cost lives and millions of dollars, have unexplained origins. As the number and size of wildfires rise across the West, there appears to be little done to find and prosecute fire starters, or identify trends in order to prevent fires in the future.

New research is the first to use GPS-tracking data to look into the effects of wildfire smoke on bird migration. Its findings suggest that tagged geese changed their behavior to avoid smoky conditions.

Wildfire season is winding down across much of the Mountain West as cold weather moves in. But it’s the perfect time to set controlled, or prescribed, fires to burn unwanted dead trees and underbrush that fuel larger wildfires.

Sitting in front of a large computer monitor in the back of a Pilatus PC-12 airplane parked at the Centennial Airport, firefighter Adam Hanson says his work feels more important this year than it ever has before.