Wildfire, Montezuma
- When
- August 17, 7:00 PM MST
- Where
- Montezuma County, Mesa Verde Natl Park
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 37.338, -108.597 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wildfire in Colorado, August 17, 1996
Known as the Chapin 5 Fire, this blaze was the most destructive fire in the 90-year history of Mesa Verde National Park. The fire was evidently started by a lightning strike.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS GJT wrote it up.
Known as the Chapin 5 Fire, this blaze was the most destructive fire in the 90-year history of Mesa Verde National Park. The fire was evidently started by a lightning strike. It is believed that the fire smoldered for nearly 24 hours before erupting into a major blaze. The fire spread across nearly 5000 acres of pinyon pine and juniper forests, damaging park roads and destroying guard rails, telephone poles, and telephone lines. 724 firefighters from 10 states fought the blaze. The fire was contained on August 22, 1996.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Wildfire
- A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Lightning Strike in Florida, August 17, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Utah, August 17, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Florida, August 17, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, August 17, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Oklahoma, August 17, 1996
- Flash Flood in Oklahoma, August 17, 1996
- High Wind in Alaska, August 17, 1996
- Flash Flood in New Mexico, August 17, 1996
- Waterspout in Pennsylvania, August 17, 1996
- Waterspout in Florida, August 17, 1996
- Waterspout in Florida, August 17, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Oklahoma, August 17, 1996
More
Every storm in Colorado in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, August 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5538156.