Qualla: Black Forest Fire

Black Forest Fire: Introduction

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Phillip Stewart, CC BY-SA 2.0. At 1:00 p.m. on June 11, 2013, the first 911 call came in from Black Forest, a wooded community of scattered homes and ponderosa pines north of Colorado Springs. Within hours, record-setting heat and fierce winds had transformed a fire near Highway 83 and Shoup Road into a wall of flame racing through the trees. By the time it was over, the Black Forest Fire had become the most destructive wildfire Colorado had ever seen, a record that would stand for eight years.

Read more: Black Forest Fire on Qualla

Image: Phillip Stewart | CC BY-SA 2.0

Black Forest Fire: Tinderbox Conditions

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit US Air Force from USA, Public domain. The National Weather Service had issued a red flag warning that Tuesday, and the conditions justified the alarm. Record heat baked the Front Range, drying out the ponderosa forest that gave Black Forest its name. When the fire ignited in the early afternoon, high winds drove the ...

Read more: Black Forest Fire on Qualla

Image: US Air Force from USA | Public domain

Black Forest Fire: A Massive Response

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Pmsyyz, CC BY-SA 3.0. By June 13, 457 firefighters were working the fireline, supported by the Colorado Air National Guard, fire suppression teams from Fort Carson and the U.S. Air Force Academy, and military aviation assets. Three UH-60 Black Hawk and three CH-47 Chinook helicopters from the 4th Comb...

Read more: Black Forest Fire on Qualla

Image: Pmsyyz | CC BY-SA 3.0

Black Forest Fire: Homes Reduced to Ash

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit John Fowler from Placitas, NM, USA, CC BY 2.0. Within two days of ignition, the Black Forest Fire surpassed the previous year's Waldo Canyon Fire as the most destructive in state history. Sheriff Terry Maketa reported 360 homes lost by the morning of June 13. By the next day, that number climbed to 419, then 473 on June 15. O...

Read more: Black Forest Fire on Qualla

Image: John Fowler from Placitas, NM, USA | CC BY 2.0

Black Forest Fire: The Long Road to Containment

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0. Rain and cloud cover on the evening of June 14 gave firefighters their first real break, pushing containment to 30 percent. By June 15, the fire was 55 percent contained. A day later, 65 percent. On June 20, Sheriff Maketa announced full containment. Residents were allowed to ret...

Read more: Black Forest Fire on Qualla

Image: Jeffrey Beall | CC BY 4.0

Black Forest Fire: A Record That Did Not Last

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit ERoss99, CC BY-SA 3.0. For eight years, the Black Forest Fire held its grim distinction as the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history. Then on December 30, 2021, the Marshall Fire swept through Boulder County, destroying over 1,000 homes in Superior and Louisville. Colorado's Front Range, a stri...

Read more: Black Forest Fire on Qualla

Image: ERoss99 | CC BY-SA 3.0