Mesa Verde Fire Threatens Ancient Ruins

July 24 -- A wildfire continued to burn out-of-control today as firefighters struggled to keep it away from the nation’s largest archaeological preserve.

After tripling in size over the weekend, the fire in Mesa Verde National Park grew from 17,000 acres to 20,000. Fire crews today fought the blaze in southwestern Colorado with the help of archaeologists whowalked along in front to pinpoint ancient sites that need specialprotection.

The nearly 500 firefighters toiled in 90-degree temperaturesagainst a blaze that sent flames 200 feet in the air and createdplumes of smoke that were visible for miles.

“That smoke plume that you see there is not just a plume goingup into the sky. It is extreme energy. This is awesome power thatwe’re looking at,” said fire management team spokesman JustinDombrowski. “If you put somebody in front of those 200-footflames, they are going to die. If you dump slurry on it, you’vejust wasted your retardant because there’s nothing you can do toslow the fire.”

Threatening Archaeological SitesThe fire moved quickly toward the nation’s largestarchaeological preserve, just 4.5 miles from the ruins known asCliff Palace, a major park attraction that was built by PuebloIndians between 600 and 1300 A.D.

Stripping away vegetation, the wildfire has uncovered several previously unknown sites. But the blaze threatens the ancient ruins, and archaeologists are marking the sites with color-coded flags thatdenote new and previously identified sites. After the fire is out,they will survey and research the area.

“We’re putting together the pieces of the puzzle of how peoplewho have been gone for hundreds of years live,” said National ParkService archaeologist Jane Anderson. “You make your best guess onwhat you can find and we’re finding a lot.”

No End In SightThe fire, which is only 10 percent contained, was apparently caused by lightning last Thursday. About 1,000 tourists were evacuated and the park has remained closed indefinitely.