Before and after photos of the Colorado wildfires reveal scorched mountaintops and smoke-filled air

• About a dozen wildfires have been ripping through Colorado for weeks, with only half of them 100% contained as of Friday.

• The Cameron Peak Fire and the Pine Gulch Fire have been particularly devastating, leaving a trail of destroyed property and singed mountaintops in the northern and western parts of the state.

• Before and after photos show the extent of the destruction.

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Like California, Oregon, and Washington, Colorado is suffering a disastrous and damaging wildfire season.

As of September 11, there were 12 wildfires ripping through the state, with half of them fully contained and being monitored.

The largest wildfire in the state's history, the Pine Gulch Fire north of Grand Junction, spans 139,000 acres and has been burning since July 31, though was 95% contained as of Friday. The blaze was initially sparked by lightning.

Another massive blaze, the Cameron Peak Fire, has been burning since August 13 and was only at 4% containment as of Friday. It's the fifth largest fire in the state's history, according to The Summit Daily.

The fire spanned more than 102,000 acres, according to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group's InciWeb database, and quadrupled in size over the Labor Day weekend.

Before and after photos of Colorado show how the fires have damaged the state's forests, mountains, and air quality.

Aerial photos of Grand Junction show flames licking at ridge lines and billowing plumes of gray smoke.

The Pine Gulch Fire on the far west side of the state even left mountaintops scorched.

Massive swaths of land have also been destroyed near the town of De Beque. More aerial photos show what the area looked like before and after.

Like California, parts of Colorado have also been overcast by a smoky haze due to the wildfires miles away.

The Denver skyline appeared choked in smog and ash on September 6 from the Cameron Peak Fire northwest of the city.

Smoke also filled the usually clear air around Grand Junction's oil and gas developments.

Also out west, the Grizzly Creek Fire has ravaged the Glenwood Canyon area. As of Friday, 91% of the blaze was contained.

Source: InciWeb

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