LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — Containment on the largest wildfire in Colorado history, the Cameron Peak Fire, increased to 94% Friday, fire officials said in a post on the Cameron Peak Fire Facebook page.
> The video aired above aired Nov. 12 and is about how patches of fire from the Cameron Peak Fire are instrumental to the forest.
The post said crews have taken long and difficult treks into Pingree Park and what they call "bulge" areas, where stumps and massive logs have been smoldering for quite some time, occasionally producing smoke.
"These are responsible for the 'areas of isolated heat' that show up as red dots on our briefing maps as detected by infrared flights," the post said.
According to the post, patches of heat close to the edge make it less likely that a fire manager would call the area contained.
Firefighters want the outer edge to be cold to the touch.
"Firefighters literally dig and feel through the ashes with their bare hands to ensure all heat is gone during a process we call 'mopping up,'" the post said.
This process of mopping up helps extinguish and disperse the remaining burning material. This work is hard, dirty and tedious, the post said.
Fire personnel can use a few different methods for mopping up.
"They may remove burning material near the control lines by bringing it further back in the black," the post said." Snags or trees may be felled because of fire inside their trunks or danger of falling. If water is accessible, firefighters may extinguish remaining flames or embers with water. They drown and then stir these hot areas until they are no longer smoking. In the case of the Cameron Peak Fire, crews may utilize snow for this purpose."
Fire crews will keep working to contain the fire and access those hot spots, according to the post.
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