Tag: Wildfire
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Xcel gets an earful from public for power shutoffs in Colorado
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Residents, business owners and local officials gave Xcel Energy an earful during a hearing convened by Colorado’s utility regulators on Wednesday, accusing the power company of using power shutoffs as a liability dodge that burdens communities. Xcel’s ability to trigger what’s called “Public Safety Power Shutoffs” or PSPS is officially sanctioned by the Public Utilities…
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Evacuation order lifted in part of Boulder County for grass fire
Officials briefly evacuated part of Boulder County near West Dillon Road and Northwest Parkway for a wildfire Monday, according to a National Weather Service alert. NWS Boulder issued an “all clear” for all areas under evacuation order around 4:30 p.m. Fire personnel will remain on-scene. The fire was first alerted just before 3 p.m. and…
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Relief at Lee fire in Colorado continues as long-term wildlife habitat reclamation become priority
The Lee fire burned more than 137,000 acres of land southwest of Meeker this summer. Some of the land charred in northwest Colorado was prime grazing land ranchers and land-users utilize for livestock feeding and wildlife rely on throughout the year. As relief efforts continue, ranchers and officials with the Colorado Parks and Wildlife have…
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A murder trial, a wildfire and gnarly roads are among the most notable news stories of 2025
2025 brought a fair share of stories throughout Colorado, from the Eastern Plains to the Western Slope — none may have been more captivating than a murder trial in Centennial this summer. After three weeks of testimony, a jury found former Aurora dentist James Craig guilty of murdering his wife Angela in 2023 with lethal…
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Gov. Jared Polis urges Trump to reverse FEMA disaster aid denials
Gov. Jared Polis and Democratic U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper are calling on President Donald Trump to reverse federal denial of Colorado’s requests for federal disaster declarations tied to recent wildfires and flooding. Polis’ office said he received two denial letters from the Federal Emergency Management Agency late Saturday. The letters followed requests…
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Xcel president says Polis criticism ‘uninformed,’ most to get power back by 10 p.m.
As tens of thousands of Xcel Energy customers remained without power Saturday morning, officials said criticism about what some called the organization’s lack of communication was unwarranted. Robert Kenney, president of Xcel Energy Colorado, said that the company had communicated with customers as early as last week about potential power shutoffs, and had worked with…
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Polis calls out Xcel as provider says work to restore power delayed as late as 10 p.m. Friday
Gov. Jared Polis called out Xcel Energy Friday afternoon, saying the utility had to do a better job at communicating how long its outages would last. The statement comes at the end of a week of severe wind in the Front Range, with Xcel intentionally turning off the power to at least 48,000 customers on…
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Xcel shuts off power west of Denver, nearly 100k Coloradans affected
Tens of thousands of Coloradans on Wednesday were without power west of Denver after winds of up to 96 mph whipped across the state causing outages and led to Xcel Energy preemptively shutting off service in some areas. The shutoffs began around 10 a.m. as winds picked up, Xcel officials said at a news conference…
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Colorado rancher donates 72,000 pounds of hay to ranchers affected by Lee fire
“We’re grateful that we can be a part of it. It’s the Western way.” The Lee fire burned more than 138,000 acres of grassland used by ranchers and wildlife in northwestern Colorado in August and September, affecting the livelihoods of dozens of ranchers and landowners on the Roan Plateau. The fire destroyed prime grazing lands…
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Xcel says high winds likely to bring power shutoffs to Front Range Wednesday
Schools prepare to cancel, modify classes As the Front Range braces for wind gusts of up to 80 mph Wednesday, Xcel Energy let customers know that they may experience power shutoffs. Already, some of the school districts have begun preparations to cancel or modify school hours. In an alert Tuesday morning, the energy provider said…