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Eerie photos show orange skies, falling ash in northern Colorado from Cameron Peak Fire

Wildfire smoke turned northern Colorado's skies orange on Labor Day and led to falling ash as far east as Greeley.

LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — Wildfire smoke that blew across the Front Range from the growing Cameron Peak Fire turned the skies orange during Labor Day on Monday, creating an eerie scene just hours before a cold front was expected to bring an early season snowstorm to much of Colorado.

The Cameron Peak Fire grew over the weekend, stoked by temperatures in the high 90s. As of this writing, the blaze was just over 59,000 acres with 4% containment, and burning a heavily forested area southwest of Red Feather Lakes. 

Multiple new evacuations have been issued for the area, and while the coming moisture is expected to help firefighting efforts, containment isn’t anticipated until October.  

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Sixty miles away, the fire’s smoke turned the sky over Horsetooth Reservoir orange, and caused crickets to chirp in the middle of the day in Loveland as ash fell onto cars in Greeley.

Here are some of the most powerful photos from 9NEWS viewers of the strange scenes in northern Colorado: 

A view from the skies 

Multiple 9NEWS viewers spotted the Cameron Peak Fire smoke plume while they were flying above it. 

Credit: Dayle Gieseke
Credit: Courtesy ML Megs
Another vantage point of the Cameron Peak Fire from the air.

Drone video captured an eerie scene from the city. 

A world tinted with orange

The courthouse in Greeley was a stark contrast to the orange sky and falling ash. 

Credit: Courtesy Peter Romero
Smoke over the courthouse in Greeley, Colorado from the Cameron Peak Fire the afternoon of 9/7/20.

The sun turned a deep red. 

Credit: Courtesy Paul Marcotte
A Northern Colorado sun turned orange with wildfire smoke.

And while skies were blue in southern parts of the state, Labor Day had a different look in northern Colorado. 

Horsetooth Reservoir was dark. 

So was the sky over Greeley. 

This was the scene in much of northern Colorado. 

Credit: April Talbot
A flag against a backdrop of orange sky in Windsor, Colorado on Sept. 7, 2020.
Credit: Courtney Robinson
Horsetooth Rock, a Fort Collins landmark, against a backdrop of wildfire smoke.
Credit: Jennifer Whyte
Wildfire smoke turned blue skies in Colorado orange and yellow.

And ash from the fire miles away fell on cars. 

Credit: Courtesy Courtney Wayland
Ash falling on a car parked in Fort Collins.

Stay safe out there, Colorado! A reminder that there is an air quality advisory, meaning if you have to drive, combine trips and stay inside whenever you can.

And of course, thank you to the firefighters on the front lines working to save lives and property.  

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