Cameron Peak Fire Now Reaches 97 Percent Containment

Containment of Cameron Peak Fire is now up to 97 percent, but a ground fire continues to smolder near the CSU Mountain Campus in the Pingree Park area, Cameron Peak Fire's media Facebook said Wednesday.  As of 9 a.m. December 2, the fire has burned over 208,000 acres, has been battled by 216 personnel, and has been burning for almost four months. The cause is still under investigation.

Cameron Peak Fire media said that crews are focused on a dry fen 'that continues to smolder several feet below the ground level just northwest of the CSU Mountain Campus in the Pingree area.'

A fen is defined as 'low land that is covered wholly or partly with water unless artificially drained.' 'Forest resource specialists have determined that attempting to extinguish this ground fire would do more damage than letting it burn itself out,' the Facebook post said. 'It is expected to smolder for several days or weeks and will be monitored.'

In the Cameron Peak Fire area, snow and ice have made roads slick, and temps have dropped from 15 to 25 degrees, with a wind chill that has dipped to -10 degrees. East Troublesome Fire, which burned nearby in Rocky Mountain National Park, is now fully contained.