Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
A stand of burned trees and charred ground is seen in Larimer County after the Cameron Peak fire ripped through the landscape.
Charred tree trunks rise from the mountains along the burn scar of the Cameron Peak Fire, a scene so alien one Larimer County commissioner could only describe it as a “lunar landscape.”
Colorado officials hope this sight — the aftermath of the largest wildfire in state history — leads the federal government to pump more dollars into preventing fires and dealing with their effects.
Gov. Jared Polis and leaders from all levels of government toured the burn scar along the Cache de Poudre River Friday. The group included U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, as well as U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennett, Democrats who have emphasized wildfire prevention and the restoration of public lands during the first months of the Biden administration.