Badger Hole Fire – Contained
Walsh, CO – On April 19, the Badger Hole Fire is considered to be at 100 percent containment. There are, however, still some hot spots within the fire perimeter. The Southeast Colorado Power Association has announced that all power has been restored to residential properties. There were 70 firefighters and 15 personnel assigned to work the fire today. The crews focused on fire suppression and assessing and compiling a list of the loss and damage sustained. With life safety always being the number one priority in incident response, we are happy to report that there have been no lives lost, and no serious injuries sustained.
Spike Ausmus, Chairman, Baca County Board of County Commissioners, “We want to sincerely thank the community members, organizations, businesses, and farmers and ranchers that gave their time, skills, and in-kind donations to assist with this fire. We appreciate that our county staff, especially the road and bridge crews, have put in significant amount of work over the last several days. We are also very grateful for the resources that arrived from around the state to assist our community. While this fire is one of the largest disasters this community has ever faced, we know that we will rebuild, and be better, stronger and more resilient than we were before.”
The fire crews and other personnel from around the state were provided as part of an agreement with the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) and the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM). The DFPC also provided Multi-Mission Aircraft, which provide intelligence such as the fire perimeter, hot spot and acreage size, as well as sent an agency administrator to assist with the incident.
Jerry Casebolt, Southeast Colorado All-Hazards Region said, “Because of the complexity of this incident, a Type 3 All-Hazards Incident Management Team was requested through DHSEM. We are incredibly thankful that the team helped us manage and document the incident, and provided us examples of best practices, which will better prepare our community for future large incidents.
For those wishing to make a monetary donation for recovery efforts related to the Badger Hole Fire, you may do so at Frontier Bank, located at 501 N. Colorado Street, P.O. Box 99, Walsh, CO 81090. Please make checks payable to: Southeast Emergency Preparedness Alliance with “Walsh Fire Recovery” in the memo line.
The American Legion Post #48 Jake Reigel’s parking lot, located at 200 S. Colorado Street, Walsh, is the designated collection point for all agriculture-related donations such as feed and fencing supplies. Contact the Baca County Sheriff’s Office at 719.523.6677 to make an agriculture donation and someone will be sent to assist in the unloading and organizing.
The Badger Hole Fire began early in the afternoon on April 17, and is located in eastern Baca County and western Kansas. Another flyover from the MMA has updated the estimated total acreage burned. In Colorado 33,609 acres have burned and in Kansas 17,249 acres have burned, for a total of 50,858 acres. Multiple homes, outbuildings, livestock, and infrastructure losses have been reported.
Checks may be mailed to:
Frontier Bank
501 N. Colorado Street
P.O. Box 99
Walsh, CO 81090
(719)324-5206You can also stop by the bank and donate or make a transfer over the phone.
Type 3 Incident Management Team
Carrie Haverfield, Public Information Officer
720-470-9994
