A bear got into KDVR reporter Courtney Fromm’s Denver garage while she walked her dogs for about seven minutes, taking chicken nuggets and dog food and opening the trunk of a parked car. After Fromm shut the garage, the bear returned to check the door, leaving claw marks on her freezer and fridge.
Fromm told KDVR she had left the garage open while walking her dogs. The incident was also reported by FOX4KC.
Fromm said the bear went to the trash and deep freezer, took chicken nuggets and dog food, then opened her car trunk. “He took chicken nuggets, dog food and then managed to open the trunk of my car,” she said, according to WGN Radio.
Bear Came Back To Check The Door
After Fromm cleaned up and closed the garage, the bear returned within minutes to check whether the door was still open, according to the station’s report.
The bear left claw marks on the freezer and fridge. Fromm accepted responsibility, telling WGN Radio, “It's my fault, not the bear's fault,” and urged people to close garage doors and keep food inaccessible to wildlife.
Part Of A Bigger Denver-Area Bear Problem
In Ken Caryl, Colorado Parks and Wildlife believes a single bear has broken into at least 20 garages in recent weeks, with some homes hit more than once. The agency dates the first likely break-in to about Aug. 22 and has set two traps in the neighborhood, according to CBS News Colorado.
Images tied to the Ken Caryl case show the bear breaking through a garage door, the Denver Gazette reported. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has warned that repeated break-ins are concerning because the bear may be learning where it can find food, according to CBS News Colorado.
Why Bear Conflicts Are Spiking This Year
The numbers behind this bear season are striking. Colorado Parks and Wildlife reported that incident counts in 2026 were running 3.6 times the five-year average from 2020 through 2025 as of Aug. 31, according to KDVR's wildlife coverage. Agency staff pointed to extreme drought and numerous wildfires this year as drivers behind what they called a massive increase in bear reports.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife says most conflicts trace back to human food, garbage, pet food, bird seed or other attractants, and that leaving those items accessible — including trash cans and bird feeders a bear can reach — can violate state law and some local ordinances, according to the agency's Living with Bears guidance. Once a bear finds food near a home, vehicle or community, the agency notes, it tends to come back for more. Most Colorado bears stay active from mid-March through early November, meaning encounters like the one in Fromm's garage remain a live possibility for weeks to come.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife public information officer Rachael Gonzales told the Summit Daily that low snowpack, drought, wildfires and late frost had reduced natural food sources in parts of the state; those conditions do not establish what drew the bear to Fromm’s garage. Separately, The Colorado Sun reported that House Bill 1342 took effect, allowing CPW and other law enforcement officers to ticket people who leave out food or garbage that can attract bears. The prevention steps described above—keeping food and trash secured and closing garage doors—remain important.
Wildlife officials recommend keeping trash indoors overnight, securing cars and homes, and removing anything that might draw a bear close. Relocation or euthanasia, per the agency's account, is reserved for bears that have been hit by vehicles, are in poor health, or show signs of losing their fear of humans.
