Wildfire - The Durango Herald

Coloradans worried about water, wildfires and cost of living, new poll shows

Telephone and online interview polled 3,440 residents of eight Mountain West states

DATE: Feb 18, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Charges for Dane in Colorado wildfire will likely be dropped

DENVER (AP) — Criminal charges will probably be dropped against a mentally ill Danish man accused of starting a large 2018 Colorado wildfire, who can no longer be forcibly medicated, a prosecutor said Monday.

DATE: Feb 14, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

From local hot shot to a federal forest director, back to La Plata County

Shawna Legarza didn’t plan for a life of firefighting, but that’s what she found

DATE: Feb 14, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Deadly Colorado blaze renews focus on underground coal fires

DENVER – A fire raging in an underground Colorado coal field in 1883 sent so much smoke pouring from cracks in the ground that the scene was likened to burning volcanoes and the state’s firs...

DATE: Jan 31, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Bone fragments found in search for woman missing in wildfire

DENVER – Investigators are working to determine whether some small bone fragments found during the search for a 91-year-old woman who tried to save her dogs from a wildfire that destroyed mo...

DATE: Jan 19, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Biden surveys Colorado wildfire damage, comforts victims

‘You will get through this and you’ll be stronger for it,’ says president

DATE: Jan 7, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Human remains found in Marshall Fire investigation

Two people have been reported missing; investigators continue to search

DATE: Jan 6, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Eyewitness to Marshall Fire origin recounts scene like a ‘war zone’

Video by Mike Zoltowski appears to show devastating blaze’s earliest moments

DATE: Jan 3, 2022 | CATEGORY: Regional News

'So many memories': Over 500 homes feared destroyed by fire

Residents get their first, heartbreaking look what is left standing of their lives

DATE: Dec 31, 2021 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Front Range wildfires burn hundreds of homes, force evacuations

DENVER – An estimated 580 homes, a hotel and a shopping center have burned and tens of thousands of people were evacuated in wind-fueled wildfires outside Denver, officials said Thursday eve...

DATE: Dec 30, 2021 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Conservation partners target 300,000 acres in Southwest Colorado

Rocky Mountain Restoration Initiative unites wildlife protection with wildfire mitigation

DATE: Dec 24, 2021 | CATEGORY: Local News

The final phase of restoration in Glenwood Canyon turns to debris-choked Colorado River

The Colorado Department of Transportation is orchestrating the removal of hundreds of thousands of tons of debris flushed down the walls of Glenwood Canyon in July deluge

DATE: Dec 6, 2021 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Final phases of project underway at Camino del Rio and Main Avenue

Photos: Marching for women’s rightsDurango Women’s March on Saturday starts at Buckley Park, continues down Main Avenue

Durango Women’s March on Saturday starts at Buckley Park, continues down Main Avenue

Photos: Durango High School football DHS beat Vista Ridge 20-14 at home Friday night

DHS beat Vista Ridge 20-14 at home Friday night

Gallery: Animals, super heroes and other creatures take over Main Avenue

Photos: A fun and spooky day at school

Haunted house northeast of Durango gets bigger every yearCody Petersen’s Halloween hobby is his escape from the daily grind

Durango resident Cody Petersen said when he moved into his home at 15 Edgemont Way several years ago, his house on the corner looked lonely and spooky.Today, it’s a madhouse. Halloween decorations are splayed practically on every inch of his lawn, in the trees and up and down his home.

A group of school-aged kids stop in front of his house every day to pose with a little gothic doll in the lawn, he said. It’s the favorite attraction amongst hundreds of decorations Petersen bought locally and online as early as July in preparation for Oct. 31, Halloween.He said he doesn’t want to think about how much money he’s spent on fog machines, animatronics and Christmas lights, but the bill easily totals several thousands of dollars.

For trick-or-treaters on Halloween, whom he encourages to visit, jumpscares abound at Petersen’s home, featuring animatronic spiders, growling wolves and other monsters, he said.He’s working on his own animatronic coffin, which shakes and rattles, and a pulley system that will push and pull a ghost up and down the yard, but neither will be ready for this year’s Halloween.He said he has fond memories of his parents decorating for the holidays during his upbringing and he’s a huge horror genre fan. So he enjoys going all out on decorations for the spooky season. He justifies his hobby with the logic his kids will only be in high school a few more years, and it isn’t as cool to decorate the lawn for Halloween when one doesn’t have children living at home.But the neighbors enjoy his haunts as much as the rest of the community. He said his Halloween scene has gradually grown larger every year; at least 50 trick-or-treaters turned up at his home last year.“I'm a home inspector, so I do have a lot of tools and no fear of trying things out,” he said.

He said typical Halloween animatronics cost $400 a piece, but they only last one year or so without breaking. That’s frustrating, he said, and he believes he can do better by building his own.He said this year’s display and experience is more organic than past years thanks to his handiwork. Among his myriad decorations, trick-or-treaters can spot easter eggs referencing “Beetlejuice,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Pet Sematary.”Among the horror props are real animal bones Petersen said he’s found on hikes across the countryside.“I've got ghosts and spiders and witches and that kind of thing,” he said. “Here in Edgemont, we have giant spiders for real. ... We get these huge wolf spiders that are bigger than my hand. I mean, huge, bigger than tarantulas.”

Petersen said he was motivated to make his first decorations within the first month he and his wife moved into the home on the corner at 15 Edgemont Way.A lone pine tree, a typical Christmas tree that would be strung up with lights and ornaments in December, stood out to Petersen in the yard, he said. He just felt compelled to decorate it and light it up.He said he thoroughly decorated the tree and left it lit year-round. Within a month of moving into the house, his neighbor died. The man was old and suffering from Alzheimer's.

Months later, the man’s wife approached Petersen and told him she and her husband’s last salient moments together were spent looking out at Petersen’s lighted Christmas tree, pretending it was Christmas. In the following hours, the man succumbed to delirium. He died several days later.“I don't know why I had that tree, why I lit it, but that's why that tree, even when Halloween is over, all year round, that Christmas tree always stays lit now,” he said.Petersen is a horror movie fan, and in particular he’s always enjoyed the sinister character Michael Myers of the “Halloween” franchise.

He said every year, after thrilling trick-or-treaters at his home, he takes to downtown and East Third Avenue in his Michael Myers costume, bearing a giant bowl of candy, to continue the fun.The highlight of his yard, the creepy doll neighborhood kids like to pose and take pictures with, is Petersen’s “elf on the shelf,” he said. He likes to move the doll around the house, sometimes propping her up to hold animal bones.“I have a real busy and pretty stressful job,” he said. “I just love the fall so much. And to come home, it's just a good way to wind down and, you know, de-stress, just go out and work in the yard.”cburney@durangoherald.com

Cody Petersen’s Halloween hobby is his escape from the daily grind

Reader-submitted photos of Halloween decorationsLast week, we asked readers to submit photos of their Halloween decorations or a neighbor’s decorations. We received dozens of photo submissions. We have selected some of the most spooky, elaborate and fun photos to share in this gallery. Enjoy!

Photos: FLC volleyball returns homeFort Lewis College volleyball took on Adams State University on Tuesday

Fort Lewis College volleyball took on Adams State University on Tuesday

Photos: Expert leathercrafter and collector estate sale near IgnacioItems belonging to the late Alex Pappas were auctioned for sale on Saturday

Items belonging to the late Alex Pappas were auctioned for sale on Saturday

Photos: Pro boxing in DurangoLegends on the Animas boxing showdown took place on Saturday

Legends on the Animas boxing showdown took place on Saturday

Coloradans worried about water, wildfires and cost of living, new poll shows

Charges for Dane in Colorado wildfire will likely be dropped

From local hot shot to a federal forest director, back to La Plata County

Deadly Colorado blaze renews focus on underground coal fires

Bone fragments found in search for woman missing in wildfire

Biden surveys Colorado wildfire damage, comforts victims

Human remains found in Marshall Fire investigation

Eyewitness to Marshall Fire origin recounts scene like a ‘war zone’

'So many memories': Over 500 homes feared destroyed by fire

Front Range wildfires burn hundreds of homes, force evacuations

Conservation partners target 300,000 acres in Southwest Colorado

The final phase of restoration in Glenwood Canyon turns to debris-choked Colorado River

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