(FREMONT COUNTY, Colo.) — As firefighters were battling the Black Forest fire in June of 2013, another wildfire raged in southern Colorado.
The often-overlooked Royal Gorge fire burned nearly 3,000 acres and destroyed 48 of the park’s 52 structures.
“It was probably the largest plume of smoke I’ve ever seen. I mean, it covered most of the landscape. You know, looking back on the fire, it just seems unreal,” said Peggy Gair, the human resources manager at the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park.
About 1,400 visitors and 200 staff were evacuated. The fire at the park burned a visitor’s center, a tramway building, a carousel, and several restaurants. The cable for the tram also fell into the gorge.
While the fire was unable to severely damage the iconic Royal Gorge Bridge, it did burn 32 of the structure’s wooden planks. The zip line buildings, the Bighorn Lodge, the Sky Coaster ride, the Plaza Theater, and the animal barn were among the structures that survived.
Park leaders were told it was lightning that struck days earlier that sparked the fire, and excessive wind bolstered it into the wildfire that took out the entire park.
The park was closed all the way up to labor day 2015 as they worked to rebuild, spending over $30 million to rebuild the entire park.
