So what we thought were going to be worthless lots because the trees were burned, the value went back up again because they had a million dollar view within a year or two. The people that rebuilt ended up with dynamite views because now they could see the mountains. Of course the grass hadn't come back yet, but it kind of was a new normal. Other people cleared their own lots,so probably in the late fall, we had all of the black sticks down. This guy just went from residence to residence and just cleared off the black trees. We got neighbors together and organized it so that this company came with this great big masticator, like a big rototiller. Darin Overstreet/Released)Īfter the fire, we had a lot of black sticks all over the place because the trees were burned. Air Force Reserve assisted in firefighting efforts. The Black Forest Fire started June 11, 2013, northeast of Colorado Springs, burning scores of homes and forcing large-scale evacuations. Department of Defense/Wikimedia Commons A burnt section of forest land can be seen as a result of the Black Forest Fire near Colorado Springs, Colo., June 12, 2013. KRCC's Shanna Lewis spoke to Stokka about how the devastation continues to change things for residents a decade later, including the rebuilding process. He’s the president of the Friends of the Black Forest Association and has taken an active role in helping the area recover, even though his own home survived the fire. Terry Stokka has lived in Black Forest for 30 years. That means it was human-caused, but it could have been accidental.

The agency now considers it a cold case, but investigators say they're still committed to looking into tips that may surface.Ī summary of the initial investigation says they ruled out all natural causes within 24 hours of the start of the fire. The El Paso Sheriff’s Office said it's been years since they've found any new information about the cause of the more than 14,000-acre fire. Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire that began on June 11, 2013. Two people died and nearly 500 homes were destroyed. Ten years ago, a wildfire roared through the Black Forest community north of Colorado Springs.

Black forest colorado springs