High Park Fire Special Public Forum at Fort Collins Museum of Discovery

It has been more than two years since the High Park Fire ravaged the wilderness west of Fort Collins.

The affects are still being felt. Whether it's simply noticing the burned areas, seeing new life crop up between scorched trees and logs, or realizing that floods and mudslides are still possible the experience hasn't left us.

The most noticeable thing is probably the fact that we now know that it could happen again. Regardless of how much snow falls and reinforces record snowpack levels, in this semi-arid area, all it takes is a one rogue match, cigarette or even a lightning strike to spark another blaze.

I'm never one to promote fear, but this is something that we have to be well aware of. There is nothing we can do about lightning. Man made causes, though, can be eliminated altogether.

The Fort Collins Museum of Discovery is holding a special public forum on January 15, 2015 that will look back at the fire and to the future of fire in our community.

Three of the firefighters from the front lines of the High Park Fire: Carl Solley, Fire Chief of the Poudre Canyon Volunteer Fire Department during the fire; Tony Simons, a Larimer County Emergency Specialist who has been actively involved in many of the big fires in the county; and Bill Hahnenberg, the Type 1 Incident Commander for the High Park Fire. “Fighting Wildfire” is the first in a series of six forums, that will be held in advance of the special exhibit that will be at the FCMOD in June 2015.