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Now in its second month of burning the mountains west of the city, the fire broke out again on Wednesday, threatening many mountain homes and sending a huge column of smoke over Front Range, northern Colorado
Nine new evacuation orders were implemented in the past 24 hours, as firefighters and emergency responders sought to protect residents and businesses of the mountain from the largest spread in the fire for weeks
By 4:20 p.m., the fire had crossed Stove Prairie Road (Larimer County Road 27) near Buckhorn Canyon Road (County Road 44H), the US Forest Service’s Canyon Lakes Ranger District reported on Twitter. officials were unable to say how far from Stove Prairie Road the fire had moved, they said
#CameronPeakFire (4:20): The fire crossed CR27 at around 44H but it is not known how far it has moved Some structures have been impacted today Once the fire behavior moderates &, it is sure, structure evaluations can take place More type 1 structure engines are coming with more on the way imageTwittercom / nbpCKUiN0F
An update on Twitter at 5:30 p.m. said that firefighters were able to « slow the spread of the fire east of CR27 (Stove Prairie Road) CR27 is now holding »
The blaze, listed on 135,556 acres as of early Wednesday and growing rapidly from that figure, fired east of Colorado State University’s mountain campus in the mountainous region to the northwest by Glen Haven By noon, firefighters reported the blaze was « well established » atop 11,000-foot Signal Mountain.
By 2:30 p.m., the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office had made its fifth evacuation order mandatory in the past 24 hours, ordering people to leave Horsetooth Mountain Park, Bobcat Ridge Natural Area, Masonville, Overhill Drive and all of Rist Canyon, including Stratton Park
Shortly after 3 a.m., a voluntary evacuation order was issued for Lory State Park west of Fort Collins. At 4:13 p.m., the evacuation was upgraded to a mandatory order. Colorado wildlife decided to evacuate the park soon after and said at noon there were only four to five vehicles in the park
Firefighters moved resources to Stove Prairie Road at midday and 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday Many firefighters watched, waited and planned from Stove Prairie Elementary School as the blaze continued to push towards the is
Further south, the Big Thompson Canyon communities of Drake and Glen Haven have been placed under evacuation orders, resulting in fire-related closures at Loveland West Gate
Earlier Wednesday, overnight gusts of wind of up to 60 mph above the blaze caused forced evacuations east to Masonville as fire crews cleared people from the foothills immediately west of Fort Collins and Loveland
Masonville is located about 50 miles southeast of Colorado State University’s mountain campus, where firefighters entered an ongoing battle to save structures on Wednesday. Masonville is located approximately 12 miles southwest of Fort Collins
A joint information center is open and can be reached at 970-980-2500, while the American Red Cross has opened an evacuation site at Embassy Suites, 4705 Clydesdale Pkwy, Loveland Staff of the information center can answer questions regarding evacuations, road closures, access to property, credentials and shelters for small and large animals. Those in need of help from the Cross Red for shelters can call 970-481-1243 or 970-324-3211
Anyone looking to offer assistance to those evacuating large animals should call the Joint Information Center Their message will be shared with staff at the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office
Colorado Parks and Wildlife also offers several areas for evacuated ranchers for the temporary movement of livestock and trailers Call 90-472-4300 for more information
Larimer County has closed the popular Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, including the Horsetooth Mountain and Soderberg trailheads, to public access until further notice, the county’s natural resources department said
The city of Fort Collins closed the Lee Martinez Park farm and canceled all outdoor recreation activities planned for Wednesday due to smoke from the fire Colorado State University football team canceled morning practices due to poor air quality, coach Steve Addazio said in a conference call with reporters
The Poudre School District allowed elementary school children to receive in-person instruction on Wednesday and said it will monitor air quality to make decisions about future decisions to keep students in the classroom. indoor or distance learning
Radar images from the National Weather Service show the intensity of the fire ignited around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday GSI images show the fire was particularly hot at the mountain campus of State University of Colorado and the Lutheran Camp area Sky Ranch NWS said wind gusts of up to 80 mph could occur over the fire area Wednesday morning
Tim Daly, a fire operations planning intern, said Wednesday that high winds overnight pushed the fire east on Pingree Park Road and chased fire crews from Colorado State University Mountain Campus and Sky Ranch Lutheran Camp, where they provided structural protection and the construction of direct and indirect fire lines
As winds persist through the week, Larimer County is on a midnight to 9 a.m. frost advisorym Thursday The cooler weather forecast for Thursday is expected to ease the fires, although gusts of wind are expected through Thursday evening
In Fort Collins, frost could kill sensitive outdoor vegetation if not covered, warns National Weather Service
The blaze had burned 135,556 acres, officials reported on the InciWebcom Incident Command website Wednesday This is the second largest wildfire in Larimer County history and could soon surpass the Pine Gulch fire that burned 139007 earlier this summer as the largest on record in Colorado Containment was listed at 56% and 857 staff were assigned to firefighting efforts
Firefighters also flew over the blaze to map it on Wednesday afternoon, but acknowledged that even updated mapping would not reflect the extent of the blaze’s advance eastward
The fire started on August 13 in the upper Poudre Canyon in an area between Chambers Lake and Cameron Peak
Journalist Miles Blumhardt searches for stories that impact your life Whether it’s news, the outdoors, sports – name him, he wants to point it Got a story idea? Contact him at milesblumhardt @ coloradoancom or on Twitter @MilesBlumhardt Support his work and that of other Colorado journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today
Cameron Peak fire
World News – US – What we know Wednesday: 9 new evacuation orders as Cameron Peak fire explodes