Kirk Siegler reports for NPR, based out of NPR West in California.
Siegler grew up near Missoula, MT, and received a B.A. in journalism from the University of Colorado. He’s an avid skier and traveler in his spare time.
Firefighters on the Indian Gulch blaze just west of Golden continued to get the upper hand Wednesday afternoon thanks to calmer winds that allowed air crews to resume water drops.
A portion of Highway 6 at the entrance to Clear Creek Canyon was closed for a time Wednesday while helicopters dumped water on the fire. Authorities were worried the water may trigger rock slides onto the road.
Fire managers reported they had the fire 25% contained. It has grown to 1,211 acres since it first started Sunday morning.
A thick blanket of smoke and ash swirled around downtown Golden throughout Tuesday afternoon and into the evening as winds fueled the 1,200 acre Indian Gulch Fire west of town.
Gusty winds are hampering crews as they struggle to get the upper hand on a large wildfire west of Golden. Air tankers did drop fire retardant and water on the 1,200 acre Indian Gulch Fire this morning, but the air attack has been grounded.
Fire crews had their hands full Monday tackling a trio of blazes in western Jefferson County. The largest, the 850 acre Indian Gulch Fire west of Golden has forced a hundred homeowners to flee, and hundreds more are on notice that they too may need to leave if conditions worsen.
