In today’s news, a Ft. Carson soldier died in Iraq earlier this week, a wildfire continues to burn in Park County, and Colorado health officials confirm the first human cases of West Nile Virus in the state.

On Friday, Oct. 26, the Air Force Reserve unit based at Peterson Field flew members of the local media to California to see their air and ground crews in action fighting fires.

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To listen to an interview with Master Sergeant Pamela Ammon of the 302nd Airlift Wing, click here.

Photo by Tech. Sgt. Roy A. Santana

U.S. Northern Command also supplied us with this video of C-130s fighting the California wildfires

U.S. Northern Command in Colorado Springs issued this press release at 1:30 Thursday morning, Oct. 25, 2007

CHANNEL ISLANDS AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Calif. At the request of the local incident commander Wednesday afternoon, five Air National Guard and Reserve C-130 Hercules aircraft equipped with the Modular Airborne Firefighting System flew their first missions in support of the California wildfires. The aircraft, under operational control of U.S. Northern Command, were tasked to attack the Poomacha fire burning in San Diego County. The five aircraft came from three units; the 302nd Airlift Wing, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo, 153rd AW, Cheyenne, Wy, and the 145th AW from Charlotte, N.C. All aircraft successfully completed their missions and have returned to base. Operations will resume Thursday morning.

Air Force General Gene Renuart Jr. at a press conference at Northern Command, Tuesday.
Photo by: Jaimie Stevenson




Lt. Col. Dave Condit is on the flight crew of a Peterson Field-based C-130 fighting fires in California.
Photo courtesy: US Air Force




A C-130 leaves for California.
Photo courtesy: US Air Force

The nationwide military response to the California wildfires is being coordinated out of U.S. Northern Command at Peterson Air Force Base. We hear from the top general there, Gene Renuart. Part of the response is sending half-a-dozen Air Force C-130 cargo planes specially outfitted to drop fire retardant. Two of those planes are from the Colorado Air Force Reserve’s 302nd Airlift Wing based at Peterson. We talk to a navigator from the 302nd, Lt. Col. Dave Condit.

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Photo by: Don Goede

Despite a couple of local grassfires this week, and small flare-up in Manitou in September, Colorado has been relatively wildfire-free this year. The 14,000 total acres that burned here is about four times fewer acres than burned in New Mexico, and far smaller than the 615,000 acres that torched in Utah. But one good year doesn’t mean fire danger has gone away. On Friday, Oct. 19, a bi-partisan group of Congressional reps and Senators sent a letter to the U.S. Forest Service urging full funding of hazardous fuels reduction projects in the Rocky Mountain Region. Colorado’s delegation was joined by counterparts in Wyoming and South Dakota. Colorado College Student Jaimie Stevenson reports that locally, the Pike San Isabel National Forest is looking at a 12% cut in its fuels reduction budget from last year, and that fuels reduction projects probably didn’t have much impact on the mild fire season this year.

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Colorado largely escaped the catastrophic wildfire season that hit so many other western states this summer. And now with fall approaching, the U.S. Forest Service is starting to set some fires in our area to help reduce future fire danger.

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Pinon Canyon expansion opponents win withheld Army documents.

The state Housing Division reports that home foreclosure filings in Colorado are on track to rise 25 percent this year.

Two Indiana women are believed to be the first to adopt children under a new Colorado law that allows same-sex couples to adopt jointly.

Uranium mine near Gateway to reopen.

Summit County pays homeowners to reduce fire danger.
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Colorado’s senators split their votes on whether to go forward with an immigration reform bill that the White House favors. Those wanting to continue work on the bill carried the day. Twenty-four Republicans joined 39 Democrats and one Independent.

Colorado Democrat Ken Salazar voted to continue with the bill, while his Republican counterpart Wayne Allard voted not to. Allard said he “could not in good conscience support this flawed process,” and that lawmakers can do better than the bill currently before them. He says he will now do all that he can to focus on supporting amendments to address what he calls “serious flaws” in the legislation. There are currently some 26 proposed amendments that the Senate is considering, the bill faces another make or break vote in the chamber as early as Thursday.

The bill in question would provide a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented workers already in the country, and proposes a guest worker program. Supporters say it has many practical provisions, critics call it amnesty.

More local news after the jump: Ft. Carson Soldiers Killed in Iraq, Dust is Depleting Snowpack Faster, Greens Skeptical of Oil Shale Study and Granby Fire Now Contained….

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The Rocky Mountain West is growing fast, thirsty and poised to burn on a massive scale. Those are some of the conclusions from this year’s State of the Rockies Report Card, unveiled today at Colorado College.

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COMMENTARY: WILDFIRE DANGER STILL STALKS THE HILLS
Don’t let the recent rains fool you, says Fire Information Officer Andy Lyon, serious wildfire danger still lurks in Colorado. [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]

AFTER THE FIRES, FLOODS - MASON GULCH ONE YEAR LATER
Four years after Colorado’s largest wildfire, soils are still too fragile to hold much rainfall. Runoff from the Hayman burn area washed out a state highway last week. We visit the scene of last year’s biggest wildfire in Colorado, Mason Gulch in Pueblo county, which is also suffering from flash floods. [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]

FIREFIGHTERS GET BIG THANKS FROM SMALL TOWN
The 14,000 acre Mato Vega fire near La Veta that’s been burning for a week and a half now is all but contained. It was a big deal for the little town of Ft. Garland, where more than 500 firefighters were based. The people of the area turned out to show the people who came to help their gratitude. Miles Eddy reports. [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]

FIRE UPDATE
We have an update on the Mato Vega, Wrights, Lion Creek, Bear Creek and Jolly Mesa Fires, plus, Governor Owens and Senator Salazar worry this fire season could develop into a “Katrina-like situation” in Colorado this summer. [LISTEN] [TRANSCRIPT]

THE MATO VEGA FIRE
The Mato Vega fire burning near La Veta has doubled in size today.
Reports last night put the fire at approximately 4,500 acres, the blaze is now estimated to be burning some 8,960 acres in steep, heavily wooded terrain.
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CANON CITY TRIES “FIRE PREVENTION ON A SHOESTRING.”
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