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Dry Weather Increases Fern Lake Fire Activity

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Smoke is once again visible from theFern Lake Fire in Rocky Mountain National Park as the blaze continues to grow. The fire which was sparked on Oct. 9, has now scorched 1370 acres and is 40 percent contained.

Dry conditions and unseasonably warm temperatures are helping fuel the continued growth of the blaze.

Park officials say suppressing the Fern Lake Fire with firefighters on the ground is extremely unsafe due to the steep terrain, numerous hazardous trees, fuel loads and the difficulty to evacuate an injured firefighter.

There are about a dozen firefighters monitoring the blaze. Full containment is expected by Monday, Dec. 17.

Moraine Park Campground in Rocky Mountain National Park remains open and campfires in grates are allowed. Trails in the immediate area of western Moraine Park are closed to hikers. This included Fern Lake Road beyond the winter parking lot, Fern Lake Trail, the Cub Lake Trail and the Mill Creek Trail. Visitors who ignore trail closures will be issued a citation.

Rocky Mountain National Park is in Very High fire danger, with the highest recorded fire danger indices for this time of year. For the month of November, the area has only received 0.01" of precipitation.

My journalism career started in college when I worked as a reporter and Weekend Edition host for WEKU-FM, an NPR member station in Richmond, KY. I graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a B.A. in broadcast journalism.
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