Editor’s note: This story is no longer being updated. For the latest, visit Monday’s edition of live coverage, as well as Coloradoan.com for more.
After a day of significant progress on containment, the fight against the Alexander Mountain Fire continued Sunday, Aug. 4.
Sunday’s updates from the Alexander Mountain Fire are below. The most recent updates were added to the top of the below section. Monday’s updates will be shared in a new story at Coloradoan.com.
LOVELAND — At an afternoon media briefing Sunday, Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen said the sheriff’s office and U.S. Forest Service investigators were both at the fire’s point of origin Saturday and Sunday, but Feyen didn’t know what the results were yet.
“There was sign of human activity, but you also have five lightning strikes in the area around the same time,” Feyen said. “… As we do in every investigation, we will let the evidence lead us, rather than making the evidence fit our narrative.”
— Ignacio Calderon
LOVELAND — Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen said damage assessment teams were able to do their surveys to account for additional structures that have been lost or damaged, and all those property owners have been contacted.
Sunday’s work brought structure damage to 26 homes destroyed (up one from previously reported numbers), 21 outbuildings had been destroyed (also up one) and four homes had been damaged (no change from what was prevoiusly reported), the sheriff’s office confirmed Sunday evening.
That brings the total number of structures impacted to 51.
“Thankfully, we have had no loss of life and very insignificant injuries. However, we have lost structures, and that’s a grieving process, just like losing a loved one or losing a pet, that our community members are going through,” Feyen said.
— Ignacio Calderon
LOVELAND — Many evacuation orders were lifted and some were downgraded Sunday. With these changes, the sheriff said it leaves 1,101 contacts in the mandatory evacuation area and 336 contacts in the voluntary area.
Feyen added that at noon Monday, they will allow residents who live in the lower part of the canyon to return. At that time, electricity will have been restored at those homes in case they need to make a 911 call for an emergency.
“We plan on giving the residents in the lower part of the canyon, from the Dam Store to Idlewild, a couple days where it’s just them … to make their assessments, clean out their houses,” Feyen said.
The area has been under a mandatory evacuation order, according to a map available on nocoalert.org, and proof of residence will be required, the sheriff’s office said.
“We do have a couple of hard closures that will still exist, that will be in place for a little while,” Feyen said. That includes the Storm Mountain and Cedar Park area, where structure loss has occurred.
The sheriff’s office announced Sunday that it would start the reentry credential process for residents in those areas Monday, and Feyen said they plan to start allowing those with credentials to enter the area Wednesday morning.
“We’ll probably give them through the rest of the week and into the first part of next week for just them again, to do their damage assessments, talk to their families, grieve with their neighborhoods, do those kinds of things, before we even begin to talk with them about opening it up to the public,” Feyen said.
More information on the credentialing process can be found in an earlier update on this story, or on this post by the sheriff’s office on the county’s website.
The sheriff said the current estimate for fully reopening U.S. Highway 34 to Estes Park is at least a week.
“That’s because of the utility work that has to go in place there. We know that this impacts homes, we know that this impacts residents, we know it impacts businesses and we’re trying diligently to get you back into there so that we can reduce the economic loss and so that you can get back into your home,” Feyen said.
— Ignacio Calderon
LOVELAND — Sunday’s media update at the Alexander Mountain Fire Base Camp in Loveland was marked by many successes: Unchanged acreage since Saturday, containment up to 54%, no new structures damaged and no lives lost.
“So with all of those successes, things are looking really good on the fire,” incident commander Carl Schwope said at a media briefing.
While there was not a single factor for the progress being done, Southwest Incident Management Team Operations Section Chief Jayson Coil said there are many things that contributed.
“One is coordination. Two is that by having the right trained people out there in the field, and allowing them decision space to make the right call, they can take advantage of small windows of opportunity. And you stack up a bunch of those small windows of opportunity, and you end up having large successes,” Coil said. “You try to make a plan the day before, make everybody execute that plan rigidly, and you’re going to miss opportunities.”
Coil said the whole eastern side of the fire is controlled, “and then all the way along Highway 34 all the way to Midway, that’s going to be shown as contained. Again, we’ll still have a presence there, but the fire’s not going to move out of that area.”
On the northern side along the burn scar from the Cameron Peak Fire, the Alexander Mountain Fire didn’t advance either.
“The scar is too new and there’s not enough vegetation there. We do fly infrared flights every night to check the perimeter, so we continue to validate that,” Coil said.
— Ignacio Calderon
The Alexander Mountain Fire is now 54% contained, the incident command team announced on Facebook Sunday afternoon. No additional growth was reported: The fire’s reported size remained 9,668 acres.
More than 500 personnel were assigned to the fire Sunday.
— Sarah Kyle
Larimer County Natural Resources announced the reopening of multiple areas Sunday. Carter Lake, which had been closed to water recreation while it was being used for firefighting efforts, is now open for “all recreation use,” the department said in a Facebook post Sunday.
Pinewood and Flatiron reservoirs also reopened to recreation Sunday, including all campgrounds.
On Saturday, Horsetooth Reservoir reopened to all recreation use. Devil’s Backbone and Blue Sky Trail were also open.
You can see status updates for parks and open spaces on COTREX and current evacuation orders for the Alexander Mountain Fire on nocoalert.org.
— Sarah Kyle
Wondering how stormy weather could impact firefighting efforts? National Weather Service Incident Meteorologist Kari Fleegel gave a brief update in a video posted on the Alexander Mountain Fire Information YouTube channel:
Fleegel said light rain there are showers and thunderstorms in some areas of the fire Sunday, “mainly west of the fire around Storm Mountain,” noting that the Cedar Park area has gotten some “very light precipitation.”
Fleegel said the chance of showers and thunderstorms will increase this week, “especially as we move into Wednesday and Thursday.”
“It’s very important that we watch the thunderstorms because winds from those storms could be very dangerous,” Fleegel said.
— Sarah Kyle
Larimer County Sheriff’s Office has released information about how residents living in the areas of Storm Mountain and Cedar Park will be able to get reentry credentials to enter areas impacted by the Alexander Mountain Fire.
The date residents will be able to use those credentials will be set once it’s deemed safe enough for them to do so. Until then, those residents will not be able to use reentry credentials to pass through roadblocks and go into evacuated areas.
Issuing credentials now will expedite the process once it’s safe for people to visit the areas, the sheriff’s office said on an informational page about the credentialing process.
Credentials will only be available to residents and property owners from locations listed on the county’s post about recredentialing, which listed 47 different locations as of Sunday afternoon. Each property can only receive one credential, according to the post.
If you don’t live in one of the areas specified on the recredentialing page, that means the sheriff’s office does “not anticipate the need at this time for re-entry credentialing when your evacuation is lifted,” according to the page.
Property owners and residents of the identified areas can visit two locations from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 5, or Tuesday, Aug. 6:
Larimer County Loveland Campus, 200 Peridot Ave., LovelandEstes Park Event Center, 1125 Rooftop Way, Estes Park
If you’re unable to get credentialed during those hours or have other questions, you can call 970-980-2800. The sheriff’s office also listed three locations that would be available for credentialing during normal business hours starting Wednesday, Aug. 7:
Larimer County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, 200 W. Oak St., Fort CollinsLarimer County Vehicle Licensing Loveland Office, 200 Peridot Ave., LovelandLarimer County Vehicle Licensing Estes Park Office, 1601 Brodie Ave., Estes Park
To be credentialed, you’ll need to bring one of the following documents:
A government-issued photo ID that shows the address of the affected property.A copy of a utility bill for the property with your name on it.A Larimer County Assessor record of property ownership inside the area.A rental agreement or lease that shows your name for an address inside the area.
“If you do not have the above documentation, bring what you can to prove where you live,” the information page says. “We will work with you to meet the requirements for credentials.”
The sheriff’s office will announce the date and time reentry will be allowed, and credentialed individuals will receive more information about that process via email. It will not allow RVs or livestock to reenter the area at that time, the sheriff’s office said.
You can also text LCEVAC to 888777 to get text alerts regarding evacuations, road closures and more.
— Sarah Kyle
Larimer County Sheriff’s Office has given the all-clear to multiple areas previously under evacuation orders and changed some mandatory evacuation areas to voluntary. The sheriff’s office said the changes were effective as of 11 a.m. Sunday.
Areas given the all-clear include:
East of Larimer County Road 27 from U.S. Highway 34 to MasonvillePinewood, Flatirons and Carter Reservoir area, including Pole HillGlen HavenThe Dunraven Glade Retreat area
These areas are now under voluntary evacuation:
Larimer County Road 43 from the Retreat to DrakeEast from the Little Dam Store including Green Ridge Glade Reservoir, Eden Valley, Bobcat Natural Area and Sylvan Dale.
These areas remain under mandatory evacuation, according to an evacuation map on nocoalert.org:
Drake to the Dam Store along U.S. Highway 34, including Storm Mountain and Palisade Mountain.Waltonia Road, Sylvan Dale to Ellis Ranch and Eden Valley to Sunrise Ranch.
You can see current voluntary and mandatory evacuation orders at nocoalert.org or text LCEVAC to 888777 to receive notifications.
In a follow-up message, Larimer County Sheriff’s Office said multiple dumpsters have been placed along U.S. Highway 34 for residents to throw away food waste. This includes a dumpster at the Drake turn-off.
The sheriff’s office also shared where to find the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations for food safety after a loss of power. That information is available in both English and Spanish.
— Sarah Kyle
The Alexander Mountain Fire had “no western movement” overnight, according to a Sunday morning update from Southwest Area Incident Management Team 1. As of that written update, the fire’s reported size remained 9,668 acres, containment held at 32% and just over 500 personnel were assigned to it.
Here are other highlights from the incident command team’s report:
Structure protection and the U.S. Highway 34 corridor remained an area of focus.Crews also focused on putting out hot spots near the Cedar Park community.There is “great progress” bewing made on containment lines, and crews “will continue to strength handlines while monitoring for additional hot spots.”As fire crews work,. “fire activity is slowing.” However, there is still potential for further spread and increased fire acvtivity as there are still dry fuels present and possible thunderstorms and showers could bring “erratic and gusty” winds.While continue smoke and increased ozone levels are expected across the Front Range Sunday, hope is on the horizon: “Expect decreasing smoke throughout the week.”The fire’s cause remains under investigation.
More: Watch the incident command team’s operational update on YouTube
Previously, Larimer County Sheriff’s Office said it was “actively working to reduce our evacuation footprint” as well as credential residents of areas under evacuation orders to visit their properties.
Information about credentialing will be shared with residents in the Storm Mountain and Cedar Park areas “over the next few days.” You can view current evacuation orders in a map on nocoalert.org or sign up for text notifications by texting LCEVAC to 888777.
The sheriff’s office also hoped to get damage assesment teams into areas damaged by the fire last week starting Sunday morning so those teams can start confirming additional structure damage.
Those teams have already confirmed that 25 homes and 20 outbuildings had been lost and four homes had been damaged by the fire, though the sheriff’s office was still working to get in contact with some property owners to notify them of the damage.
— Sarah Kyle
After days of reporting single-digit containment percentages, crews fighting the Alexander Mountain Fire made significant progress on the blaze Saturday when they limited additional fire growth to just 138 acres and increased containment to 32%.
The fire grew rapidly over its first few days, and measurable containment was elusive as crews focused their efforts on protecting people and structures. Here’s a look back at the fire’s growth and containment over its first week:
Monday, July 29: The fire was first reported and grew to an estimated 950 acres, prompting mandatory and voluntary evacuations as it burned west of Loveland. Crews reported no containment that evening.Tuesday, July 30: The fire grew significantly throughout the day, prompting expanded evacuation orders. Tuesday morning, the U.S. Forest Service announced that the blaze had grown to 992 acres Monday night. Multi-mission aircraft mapped it at 1,820 acres as of 10 a.m. In the afternoon, the Forest Service said it had grown to more than 3,500 acres. By 7 p.m., it grew to 5,080 acres. No containment was reported Tuesday.Wednesday, July 31: Though the fire grew more than 2,500 acres over 24 hours, reaching 7,648 acres by 7 p.m. Wednesday, the U.S. Forest Service reported the first containment of the fire Wednesday evening: 1%.Thursday, Aug. 1: As of Thursday afternoon, the fire had grown to 8,089 acres. That growth briefly took away the hard-fought 1% containment because it became less than half a percent of the fire’s overall perimeter. However, that loss was only temporary. By Thursday evening, the fire grew to 8,134 acres and crews were reporting 5% containment.Friday, Aug. 2: Around 6:30 a.m., the incident command team announced the fire had grown 9,053 acres with 5% containment holding Friday, then 9,194 acres. By late afternoon, the fire was reported to be 9,375 acres, still with 5% containment. Late Friday night, the sheriff’s office confirmed that 49 structures had been destroyed or damaged by the fire earlier that week.Saturday, Aug. 3: This was a day hailed as a “tremendous success” by incident commander Carl Schwope at an afternoon media briefing. A morning update marked the fire at 9,530 acres, still with 5% containment. By that afternoon briefing, it had grown just 138 acres, to 9,668 acres. That limited growth wasn’t the only cause for celebration: Containment jumped to 32%, no additional structures were damaged, and the threat to homes in the area was reduced significantly, officials said at the briefing.
The additional containment Saturday was primarily along U.S. Highway 34 in the lower portion of Big Thompson Canyon and on the fire’s eastern edge, stretching from Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch northward to a ridgeline just west of Masonville, operations section chief Jayson Coil said.
Smaller areas of containment were also established on the fire’s western edge, in the Cedar Park subdivision.
— Sarah Kyle and Kelly Lyell, with contributions from Rebecca Powell, Erin Udell, Sady Swanson and Ignacio Calderon
As crews gain more containment of the Alexander Mountain Fire, Larimer County Sheriff’s Office says it is “actively working to reduce our evacuation footprint” as well as credential residents of areas under evacuation orders to visit their properties.
“We want to get people home,” Undersheriff Joe Shellhammer said in a news release Saturday night, adding that evacuees should “pay attention” to notifications sent out about changes. You can also view current evacuation orders in a map on nocoalert.org.
Information about credentialing will be shared with residents in the Storm Mountain and Cedar Park areas “over the next few days,” according to the release, which states:
“Credentials are used to allow residents into fire-impacted areas while that area might still be under evacuation orders. Larimer County is working to set up locations for residents to receive those credentials, and we will share further information as soon as possible. Dates and times for residents to go into the fire-impacted areas are still yet to be determined.”
— Sarah Kyle
Damage assessment teams plan to start confirming additional structure damage that happened earlier in the fire on Sunday, Larimer County Sheriff’s Office said in a Saturday night news release.
Those teams “have not been able to assess all of the damaged properties in fire-impacted areas,” according to the release. “With safety as our first concern, these teams will go in and finish their assessments as soon as it is safe to do so. The plan is to start first thing tomorrow morning. With that in mind, additional damage notifications may be made. This is NOT new damage.”
Those teams have already confirmed that 25 homes and 20 outbuildings had been lost and four homes had been damaged by the fire, though the sheriff’s office was still working to get in contact with some property owners to notify them of the damage.
Saturday, the sheriff’s office said it was still asking property owners with property on Cedar Creek Road, Spruce Mountain Drive, Green Ridge Road, Possum Court, Palisade Mountain Drive, Snow Top Drive and Bobcat Drive to share their current contact information with the Damage Assessment Center (if they haven’t already gotten a phone call about damage).
You can call the center at 970-980-2800 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The sheriff’s office clarified that not all properties on the listed roads were damaged.
— Sarah Kyle
