Amid recent flash flooding, we check in with residents in Cameron Peak burn scar

Hello, Coloradoan subscribers.

Senior reporter Miles Blumhardt here.

First came the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire, whose perimeter amassed nearly 209,000 acres and which consumed more than 460 structures.

But that was only the half of it.

Since then, flash floods over scorched mountainsides laden with millions of dead trees and tons of sediment and ash have killed six people, damaged more homes, washed away roads and culverts, and heavily impacted water supplies for the cities of Fort Collins, Loveland and Greeley.

Officials from the beginning warned flash flood impacts would be felt for several years because of the burn’s large scale and severity in areas.

Still, residents living in the massive burn scar are frustrated with how slow government help has come to the area. Buckhorn Canyon residents, like property owners in The Retreat area above Glen Haven, have been repeatedly impacted by flash floods over the past two years.

For this story, I talked to Buckhorn Canyon property owners who expressed their concerns and officials who explained issues with recovery efforts as well as solutions in the works.

My story will be in the Coloradoan's Sunday print edition and online at Coloradoan.com on Monday morning.

Thanks for subscribing, as this allows reporters like me time to dig into stories that impact our community’s lives.

— Miles Blumhardt, milesblumhardt@coloradoan.com

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Amid recent flash flooding, we check in with residents in Cameron Peak burn scar