The Lake Christine Fire is a cautionary tale about ignition sources during extreme fire danger.
On July 3, 2018, two people firing tracer rounds at a shooting range during a fire ban ignited the Lake Christine Fire near Basalt. It grew to 12,588 acres, destroyed three homes and threatened Basalt and El Jebel in the Roaring Fork Valley, leading to criminal charges.
Every major Colorado fire reinforces the same lesson: the homes most likely to survive are the ones prepared before a fire starts. It underscored how seriously fire bans must be taken, a single careless act endangered an entire valley. Creating defensible space, hardening the home against embers, and documenting the work for insurance and grant funding are the highest-leverage steps a homeowner can take.
Not sure where your property stands? Check your wildfire risk score in under a minute, watch for new starts on the active fires map, and set up emergency fire alerts so you never miss an evacuation order.
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Read the overviewThe complete, searchable record of every major Colorado wildfire in history.
Open the full guideTracer rounds fired at a shooting range during a fire ban.
12,588 acres near Basalt in Eagle County.
