On Friday, Aug. 16, the second day of the 51st annual Palisade Peach Festival came to a close with a fireworks show.
The fireworks were supposed to be the highlight of the event, with many vendors and performing artists trying to hype up the crowd.
Towards the end of the fireworks show, however, a fire started on the hillside. Although small at first, the fire quickly grew within minutes.
By the end of the show, the majority of the hillside that was being used to launch the fireworks was engulfed in flames. Shortly after that, the park was evacuated and attendants were told to leave.
Noah Stahlecker for the Criterion 
Noah Stahlecker for the Criterion
The quick action of both the Palisade police department and the fire department allowed the park to be evacuated in under 20 minutes from when the fire first started.
Great reporting, Nico. While the rest of the valley has no information about the fire that broke out here in Palisade, you’ve put CMU ahead of the curve. Other news outlets are still talking about heightened fire risk, not the fire that broke out because of this risk. You have done the most comprehensive reporting on this event so far and deserve commendation for your quick and accurate report.
7 sentences. No real details.
20 minute evacuation!? I was there for 45 min after it started and there were still a lot people around.
Mr. Ortega,
Thank you for your informative piece. I often read articles and still have many lingering questions as to the main idea. You provided important details and I appreciate that.