Find the latest on this fire | Live updates: 3 wildfires burning in the foothills north and west of Denver
A fast-moving wildfire west of Loveland exploded in size Tuesday to 5,080 acres as hot, dry weather fueled the flames that started Monday morning.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 270 firefighters were fighting the Alexander Mountain fire, which had zero percent containment, Incident Manager Mike Smith said during a briefing. Several mandatory evacuation orders affecting thousands of people remained in effect.
“This fire was 900 acres last night and first flight this morning, the fire was 1,800 acres. Seeing that type of fire growth overnight speaks to the dryness of the fuels and the dryness of the atmosphere,” Smith said. “Those things combined with wind really lead us to the situation we see here.”
Wind gusts, and quick shifts in wind direction, are causing more aggressive fire growth in the west, north and east, he said. Crews will be stationed at the fire overnight to fight the fire.
“But we are facing a pretty significant shortage of resources nationally. Fortunately we have had great support because of the potential impact that this fire poses for the community here,” Smith said.
Some resources were diverted to fight the fast-moving Stone Canyon fire, just a few miles to the south.
LEFT: Margaret Crespo, a member of the Larimer County Sheriff’s Posse, checks people evacuated by the Alexander Mountain fire in on Tuesday at The Ranch Events Complex in Loveland. “Not an exact number, but well over 60 residents at one point were checked in with various animals and support needs,” Crespo said. RIGHT: Chelsea Aragon, a Red Cross volunteer, consoles Larry Weyne, a resident from Lakeview waiting for his family on Tuesday at Foundations Church in Loveland. Weyne has lived in the Lakeview area for over 40 years and was able to evacuate safely out of the area with his dog, Huckleberry, when the Alexander Mountain fire threatened his neighborhood. (Tri Duong, Special to The Colorado Sun)
TOP: Margaret Crespo, a member of the Larimer County Sheriff’s Posse, checks people evacuated by the Alexander Mountain fire in on Tuesday at The Ranch Events Complex in Loveland. “Not an exact number, but well over 60 residents at one point were checked in with various animals and support needs,” Crespo said. BOTTOM: Chelsea Aragon, a Red Cross volunteer, consoles Larry Weyne, a resident from Lakeview waiting for his family on Tuesday at Foundations Church in Loveland. Weyne has lived in the Lakeview area for over 40 years and was able to evacuate safely out of the area with his dog, Huckleberry, when the Alexander Mountain fire threatened his neighborhood. (Tri Duong, Special to The Colorado Sun)
A complex incident management team will arrive at the fire site Wednesday, which will bring more assets and more people, including two hot shot crews who can tackle the fire in rugged, steep terrain.
Wednesday’s main focus is firefighting and public safety, he said.
“If we can’t get in and engage this fire safely and make sure that our folks that can get in and out and do the job that they need to, we’re not going to commit those resources,” Smith said. “We’re doing what we can, where we can, when we can.”
The weather forecast calls for more challenging conditions in the days ahead, Smith said.
“I hope that we’re going to see that start to improve but it’s really going to depend on Mother Nature giving us a break,” Smith said. “It looks like we’re hot, dry and windy until Friday when the chance of moisture is going to increase but it’s not significant.”
More mandatory evacuations were issued throughout Tuesday. Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen said that the county alerted 3,245 people to evacuate their homes and another 826 for voluntary evacuation orders. The latest evacuation orders can be found at nocoalert.org.
Officials said they were not aware of any injuries or any structures damaged.
Firefighters face the biggest challenges fighting the flames from the north and west and are still working on their best plans for attack, Smith said.
Off U.S. 34, the fire has creeped one-third of the way down the Big Thompson Canyon, Smith said, adding that he expects the fire to run out of fuel as it reaches rocky terrain.
Airplanes and helicopters will drop water and retardant over the fire Tuesday to help secure the fire perimeter and protect structures, officials said. Significant smoke is expected over the next few days as the fire continues to burn in a densely forested area across rugged terrain.
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The fire has not crossed U.S. 34, officials said, and the cause of the fire is still unknown.
Colorado’s Firehawk, a modified military helicopter modified to fight fires, was still assigned to fight the Alexander Mountain fire Tuesday morning, a spokesperson with the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control said.
The helicopter, which has a 1,000-gallon tank attached, can travel up to 140 mph with a full load of water. It has a snorkel that allows fire crews to fill the tank without ever landing and can refill its tank in about a minute or less before returning to the fire.
Firefighters are pulling water from Horsetooth Reservoir, which is west of Fort Collins, and boaters and others are asked to avoid the area, according to the Larimer Department of Natural Resources.
Emergency management officials in Larimer County requested a mobile satellite from Verizon to help wildfire crews and other first responders stay connected, Blair Miller, senior director of network assurance, said. The satellite attached to a trailer provides a temporary cell site for first responders on scene and ensures there are no gaps in coverage.
LEFT: Kelly Hadkins, who lives in the Cedar Cove neighborhood in Big Thompson Canyon, talks with Eric Martin, an evacuation volunteer, on Tuesday at Foundations Church in Loveland. Hadkins has a couple of friends with horses that are evacuated to The Ranch Events Complex and said he hopes everyone was able to move out of the area safely with all their animals. RIGHT: Red Cross volunteer Julie Prather stocks snacks, drinks and toiletries in the kitchen area on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, at Foundations Church in Loveland. Prather previously volunteered in New Mexico during a wildfire last year, so she was glad to help her community close to home this time. BOTTOM: A horse evacuated from the Alexander Mountain fire zone stands in a temporary stall at The Ranch in Loveland. (Tri Duong, Special to The Colorado Sun)
TOP: Kelly Hadkins, who lives in the Cedar Cove neighborhood in Big Thompson Canyon, talks with Eric Martin, an evacuation volunteer, on Tuesday at Foundations Church in Loveland. Hadkins has a couple of friends with horses that are evacuated to The Ranch Events Complex and said he hopes everyone was able to move out of the area safely with all their animals. MIDDLE: Red Cross volunteer Julie Prather stocks snacks, drinks and toiletries in the kitchen area on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, at Foundations Church in Loveland. Prather previously volunteered in New Mexico during a wildfire last year, so she was glad to help her community close to home this time. BOTTOM: A horse evacuated from the Alexander Mountain fire zone stands in a temporary stall at The Ranch in Loveland. (Tri Duong, Special to The Colorado Sun)
“All of our cell sites are up and operational. Typically, they request this because they are setting up a fire camp area either in a valley or space off the beaten path. This is in a valley that is not well-covered by our existing network,” Miller said.
The 8-foot-by-10-foot trailer is stationed at Sylvan Dale Ranch and will be stationed there to help emergency responders as long as needed, Miller said. The satellite provides LTE coverage and WiFi for the fire camp.
“We deploy that asset so they don’t have coverage gaps,” Miller said. “Because if they are on the phone coordinating where a crew needs to go, we want to make sure that they don’t have an audio gap, they don’t lose connectivity, they don’t lose what they need because that communication is paramount as conditions are constantly changing.”
The Alexander Mountain fire is the first wildfire the satellite has been called to in Colorado this summer, Miller said. Verizon has a fleet of more than 550 mobile assets ready to rapidly deploy to deliver communication support to public safety agencies across the country.
Last year, the Verizon Frontline Response Team responded to more than 200 requests for support from wildland firefighters battling fires from Hawaii to Virginia, a spokesperson for the company said.
Water and fire retardant were dropped continuously on the fire until about 8 p.m., the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office said. Dozens of fire crews and more than 11 aircraft were called to fight the fire, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Road closures were still in effect Tuesday, including U.S. 34 between Mall Road and North County Road 29, County Road 43 between Drake and Estes Park, County Road 18E west of County Road 31 and County Road 29 between County Road 27 and U.S. 34.