Rocky Mountain National Park lost several structures when the East Troublesome fire blew up overnight on Oct. 22, crossing into the park’s boundary and burning nearly 30,000 acres.
In a statement released Friday, the park said the fire destroyed the historic Onahu Lodge and Green Mountain cabins, which are landmarks located along Trail Ridge Road in the Kawuneeche Valley and were eligible for the National Register of Historic Places due to their rustic design and connection to 20th-century ranching and resort industries. The park also used them to house seasonal staff.
Rocky also lost the Trails and Tack Barn, the Grand Lake entrance station office (although not the entrance kiosks), and the garage structure at Trail River Ranch, which stored historic contents that were also lost.
On the east side of Rocky, the fire destroyed the park’s oldest structure, the Fern Lake Backcountry Patrol Cabin, which was constructed in 1925.
RELATED: Photos show damage to Rocky Mountain National Park from East Troublesome Fire
“In 95 years, countless rangers, wilderness crews, trails crews, biologists, and search and rescue operations have been based and supported out of this cabin,” said Darla Sidles, park superintendent, in a press statement.
The main park housing area, the Kawuneeche Visitor Center, the Trail River Ranch main building and Buckaroo Barn were spared, the park said.
The East Troublesome fire has grown to 193,812 Acres and was 47% contained as of Friday afternoon. The fire is still active in remote areas of the park so staff cannot get in to do a full assessment of the damage.
The park says it will prepare a Burned Area Emergency Response Plan to assess the burned areas, looking for potential disturbances and recommending ways to mitigate impacts when possible. The park said it will use research and monitoring to track and understand post-fire effects and recovery.
Wildfire mitigation in Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky, the third-most-visited national park in 2019, has been aware of the wildfire danger it poses to Estes Park for at least 20 years, the park said.
“Over that time, there was a realization that wildfires are getting larger nationwide, fire seasons are getting longer and to make matters worse, the mountain pine beetle outbreak created a fuels profile that is very volatile,” said Fire Management Officer Mike Lewelling in a press statement.
Over the past five years, the park has tried to create a ”catcher’s mitt” around Estes Park and other areas near Allenspark and Lily Lake, which included thinning trees and setting prescribed fires.
“It was widely accepted that these fuels treatments on their own would probably not stop a fire, but they give firefighters a chance,” Lewelling said.
What is left of the Grand Lake entrance station office. (Provided by Rocky Mountain National Park)
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