Glenwood Fire Sale

Things get hot at an MG rally

By John Lane

It was a heated anniversary at the MG Car Club’s 50^th annual Rally Glenwood Springs. This year’s event was cut short by a freak wildfire that consumed more than 11,500 acres and caused $4.5 million in damages.

The event began on Friday with a guided tour over some of the most beautiful countryside in Colorado. Starting at Gunther Toody’s ’50s diner in Arvada, the tour meandered past the Coors brewery, over Lookout Mountain, Squaw Pass and the 11,000-foot summit of Independence Pass before descending into Aspen and onward to Glenwood Springs.

On Saturday morning almost one hundred rallyists of all skill levels were greeted by a bright sunny day and the promise of a challenging drive through the back roads of Glenwood. Despite tricky instructions and a cattle drive on the rally route, all the cars managed to navigate the course with a minimum of trouble. But as the rally proceeded, none of the participants could have realized that many of the roads they were traveling through would later that day be engulfed in flames.

The fire began at approximately 1:00 p.m. when strong winds caused an underground coal fire that had been burning for years to flare up, taking control of the dry brush west of Glenwood. Colorado has been suffering a drought for the past few years and the lack of moisture has had many residents worried about increased fire danger.

Most participants were blissfully unaware of any trouble until much later in the day. After completing the rally, participants noticed what looked like smoke to the west of town. Being exhausted from a second long day of driving in a very hot Austin-Healey, we quickly forgot about the odd sight and went into the hotel to rest and get cleaned up for the banquet later that evening. It wasn’t until about 6:30 that people began to realize just how serious things were.

The smoke that had been off to the west was now less than a mile from our hotel and we could see the flames burning on the hillside across the freeway. The hotel manager explained that while West Glenwood had been evacuated because of smoke, we were not being evacuated at that time. She was, however, very understanding when we gathered our belongings and checked out of the hotel.

Meanwhile, at the MGCC banquet, we were assured that we would be kept up to date on the fire and that the banquet would continue as long as it was safe. We managed to get through dinner, a couple of awards, and halfway through a talk by long-time Denver sports car icon Sam Arnold before getting interrupted. The hotel management told us that while there was no official evacuation, it was probably best that we pack up and head for safer ground.

We were lucky to have packed our belongings before leaving, because many people had difficulty gaining entrance to their hotels. A very frightened Holiday Inn manager gave Stan Edwards of the MGCC two minutes to empty his room. “Two minutes was more time than we needed,” Edwards commented. “I just wonder how many people she gave two minutes to that night.”

Finding the Healey blocked by a pickup truck, we had some difficulty leaving the banquet, which in the long run may have saved us hours of driving. I-70 had been closed for some time because of smoke, but when we finally got out of Glenwood, that’s exactly where we were directed. We found ourselves on a deserted interstate with about three other British cars. Three hours later we were safe in Denver and could only check the Internet for information on the blaze.

While the 50^th Glenwood Rally did not turn out as planned, after so many years the club is not about to give up on tradition. The organizers are attempting to reschedule the car show where they hope to have Sam Arnold finish his interrupted talk. Plans are already in the works for next year’s Glenwood, though it hasn’t been determined if it will be called the 51^st annual, or the 2^nd annual 50^th.