DENVER — As the Lee Fire burning in Rio Blanco County climbs up the list of biggest wildfires in Colorado history, we're taking a look at the other major blazes that previously burned massive acreage around the state.
The Lee Fire has burned more than 113,000 acres as of 4 p.m. on Monday and is 7% contained. More than 1,000 firefighters continue to work to build containment lines.
Unfortunately, Colorado is no stranger to large wildfires that threaten infrastructure and towns. Over the past few decades, we've seen enormous destruction to forests, communities, recreation areas, watersheds and more. Firefighters have risked their lives to save what they can, working long days and nights in dangerous conditions.
We're revisiting the top 10 biggest wildfires — which Lee Fire is now part of — to impact Colorado in this story.
Cameron Peak Fire (2020) | 208,913 acres
The Cameron Peak Fire was fully contained in December 2020 after burning for more than 110 days.
The 208,913-acre wildfire — the largest in state history — was contained on Dec. 2, 2020. It ignited on Aug. 13.
"We have all traveled a long road together; this evening, we breathe a collective sigh of relief with you. Rest well tonight," the incident management team wrote on InciWeb that evening.
The damage assessment from the Larimer County Assessor's Office, which was released in January 2021, showed that 469 properties were affected by the fire and of those, 243 structures were destroyed. The fire resulted in an assessed value loss of $472,533 and a market loss of more than $6 million.
East Troublesome Fire (2020) | 193,812 acres
The East Troublesome Fire started on Oct. 14, 2020 in the Arapaho National Forest east of Troublesome Creek and northeast of Kremmling, about 20 miles from Grand Lake. By Oct. 19, the fire had grown to just over 13,000 acres and by Oct. 21, the fire was just over 19,000 acres. On the afternoon of Oct. 21, it burst in size and chewed through the forest 6,000 acres an hour toward Grand Lake, backed by hurricane-force winds.
In about 36 hours, it grew from 19,000 acres to 170,000 — a record for rapid-fire expansion in Colorado — and forced the evacuation of more than 35,000 people.
The fire eventually peaked at 193,812 acres before it was fully contained in late November 2020. In its wake, it left 580 destroyed structures, 366 of which were residential. It also killed two residents.
Denver7 visited Grand Lake one year after the fire to hear from residents as they continued to pick up the pieces.
“It was almost like a hurricane and a tornado and a wildfire met in the woods,” one resident told us in 2021.
Pine Gulch Fire (2020) | 139,007 acres
At the end of August 2020, it appeared that the Pine Gulch Fire would grow to become the largest wildfire in Colorado's recorded history. At that point, East Troublesome had not ignited and Cameron Peak was still relatively small.
The Pine Gulch Fire started on July 31, 2020 about 18 miles north of Grand Junction. It was sparked by lightning.
It was fully contained on Sept. 23, 2020 after burning about 139,000 acres, making it — up until that time — the largest wildfire in state history, surpassing the 2002 Hayman Fire.
The Pine Gulch Fire did not destroy any homes, but scorched large swaths of ranch land and wildlife habitat tied to many people’s livelihoods, according to the Associated Press.
Hayman Fire (2002) | 137,760 acres
More than 20 years have passed since the Hayman Fire began burning north of Lake George, and researchers have observed almost no tree regeneration in the most severely burned areas.
The Hayman Fire burned 137,760 acres north of Lake George, and included Park, Jefferson, Douglas and Teller counties.
According to the Pike and San Isabel National Forests, it was one of the most severe wildfires, in respect to burn intensity.
It grew rapidly and destroyed 600 structures in its path, including 133 residences, one commercial building and 466 outbuildings.
The fire was caused by humans and was contained by the end of July 2002.
Lee Fire (2025) | 113,378 acres
As of Monday at 2:30 p.m., the Lee Fire has burned more than 113,000 acres and is 7% contained, according to the incident management team.
It was sparked by lightning.
Extreme fire behavior was expected to continue on Monday and firefighters, including crews in aircraft, are continuing the work to contain the blaze.
Evacuations are currently in place. Click here for the latest on this fire.
Spring Creek Fire (2018) | 108,045 acres
The Spring Creek Fire started June 24, 2018 southwest of Parachute.
It burned about 108,000 acres and destroyed nearly 150 structures. It was fully contained on Sept. 5, 2018.
Jesper Joergensen, a 52-year-old citizen of Denmark, who was reportedly in the United States illegally, was arrested on arson charges in connection to this fire.
He had assumed his fire pit was extinguished, but embers spread to nearby trees. He faced 349 counts of arson. In April 2022, a judge dismissed the criminal charges against Joergensen after he was repeatedly found unable to stand trial.
High Park Fire (2012) | 87,284 acres
The High Park Fire caused more than $33 million in damage and destroyed 259 homes, according to DFPC.
Several evacuation and pre-evacuation notices were put out. Thousands of fire personnel worked on this fire, including those on the ground and in the air.
It ignited on June 9, 2012 and was contained on July 11 of that year after burning more than 87,000 acres north and west of Fort Collins.
The cities of Greeley and Fort Collins announced the following month that they would begin dropping weed-free straw and wood mulch on the burn scar to stabilize the hillsides and avoid mudslides.
A different fire, also called the High Park Fire, broke out in 2022 and burned about 1,500 acres west of Cripple Creek.
Missionary Ridge Fire (2002) | 70,285 acres
The Missionary Ridge Fire began on June 9, 2002 northeast of Durango. About 50 firefighters responded initially, but were pushed back by erratic wind gusts. That first day, the fire blew up to 6,500 acres, according to History Colorado.
By the time it was fully contained on July 15, it had destroyed 46 houses, according to History Colorado. One firefighter died after he was cutting down a blackened tree and it fell on him.
Property loss was estimated at about $24 million.
The aftermath brought a risk of floods and mudslides, and waterways in the area were harmed by the sediment, which caused levels of mercury to spike, as well as other toxins, History Colorado reported.
West Fork Fire (2013) | 58,570 acres
The West Fork Fire was part of the West Fork Complex fire, which involved three wildfires that burned a total of 109,632 acres in 2013. The other two were the Papoose Fire, which burned 49,628 acres, and the Windy Pass Fire, which burned 1,417 acres. All were started by a lightning strike, according to the National Weather Service.
The West Fork blaze burned through beetle-kill forests starting on June 5, 2013. It was considered contained on Nov. 13, 2013.
It came close to the town of South Fork, but was contained before it reached any structures there.
416 Fire (2018) | 54,129 acres
The 416 Fire, which sparked on June 1, 2018, in the San Juan National Forest outside of Durango, was active for 61 days. It was officially declared extinguished in late November 2018. It mostly burned on federal land.
It started amid extreme drought conditions near tracks for the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. A resident reported seeing smoke after one of its coal-fired trains passed by.
In 2022, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Company and its parent company agreed to pay $20 million to the U.S. government for damage caused by the fire.
