Colorado, 2002

Wildfire in Colorado, June 8 to 30, 2002

June 8 to 30, 2002 · NWS GJT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Strong winds carried an ember from an opening of a burning underground coal seam to nearby brush in South Canyon. The fire quickly spread northeast across forested terrain, jumped railroad tracks, the Colorado River and Interstate 70.

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.

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  • Floods
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  • Cold
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
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.

Strong winds carried an ember from an opening of a burning underground coal seam to nearby brush in South Canyon. The fire quickly spread northeast across forested terrain, jumped railroad tracks, the Colorado River and Interstate 70. The fire continued north of Interstate 70 and into west Glenwood Springs where it destroyed 29 residences and 14 other buildings. Nearly 3000 people were evacuated from that area. The fire continued to move north and east and persisted into the month of July. Additional information on this fire, known as the Coal Seam Fire, can be found in the July Storm Data publication.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Grand Junction, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 8, 8:46 AM MST, 3 hours 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 8, 8:46 AM MST, 3 hours 14 minutes before
WESTERN COLORADO & EASTERN UTAH AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
946 AM MDT SAT JUN 8 2002

SFC GRADIENTS BEGINNING TO TIGHTEN THIS MORNING WITH SEVERAL
LOCATIONS NOW GUSTING TO OVER 30 MPH.  STRONG SFC COLD FRONT IS
EXPECTED TO REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY OVER CENTRAL UTAH THROUGH
SUNDAY...WITH HOT AND WINDY CONDITIONS CONTINUING OVER OUR COUNTY
WARNING AREA.  CURRENT FORECAST ON TRACK...BUT PLAN ON EXTENDING
THE WIND ADVISORY SLIGHTLY FURTHER SOUTH OVER WESTERN COLORADO TO
INCLUDE THE WEST CENTRAL VALLEYS AND MOUNTAINS. KGJX WSR-88D VWP
CONTS TO SHOW 40-50KTS JUST OFF THE SFC.  DEEP MIXING WL BRING
THESE STRONGER WINDS DOWN TO THE SFC BY LATER THIS AFTERNOON.  ONLY
POSITIVE TODAY IS THAT THE LACK OF MOISTURE WILL PREVENT WIDESPREAD
CU FROM FORMING...THUS ENHANCED WINDS FROM VIRGA SHOWERS NOT
EXPECTED TO BE A PROBLEM.  MORE HIGHLIGHTS ANTICIPATED FOR WIND AND
FIRE DANGER ON SUNDAY...WILL COVER THIS LATER THIS AFTERNOON.

COLTON

.GJT...RED FLAG WARNING THROUGH 2200 SUNDAY FOR ALL OF EASTERN
       UTAH AND WESTERN COLORADO FIRE ZONES.
    ...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM MDT TODAY FOR NORTHWEST AND WEST
       CENTRAL COLORADO ZONES CO001>003-006>009-011-013-017-020 AND
       EASTERN UTAH ZONES UT022>025 AND UT027>029.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Garfield

When
June 8, 12:00 PM MST to June 30, 12:00 AM MST
Where
Garfield County, 10 mi SW of Glenwood Spgs
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
39.599, -107.904 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

More

Every storm in Colorado in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, June 2002

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: 5303273.