DENVER (KDVR) — Thousands of acres of land were burned in wildfires across Colorado last week, destroying dozens of homes, taking one person’s life and causing air quality concerns.
Now that the fires are more contained, residents who were evacuated are returning home, and officials are warning of the impacts of fire retardant on people, pets and water.
Cat found covered in red slurry rescued after days in Quarry Fire
Luckily, the human residents who live near the burns have informational resources to refer to, but what about the wildlife whose habitat has burned to ashes?
How the Cameron Peak Fire impacted wildlife
Colorado Parks and Wildlife Public Information Officer Kara Van Hoose told FOX31 that wildlife officers won’t know how the recent fires will affect wildlife until the fires are out and they can do surveys, but researchers do know how wildfires have impacted wildlife in the past.
In 2020, the Cameron Peak Fire burned more than 200,000 acres in Larimer County over several months. In a study, CPW biologist Angelique Curtis said the fire didn’t seem to affect the health of elk herds in the area.