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Crews battle Alexander Mountain Fire as it burns into second day

KUNC
Published July 29, 2024 at 12:50 PM MDT
A helicopter drops water on the Alexander Mountain Fire in Big Thompson Canyon. The fire is burning in Larimer County and many parts of the area are under mandatory and voluntary evacuations.
Gabe Allen
/
KUNC
A helicopter drops water on the Alexander Mountain Fire in Big Thompson Canyon. The fire is burning in Larimer County and many parts of the area are under mandatory and voluntary evacuations.

Updated July 30, 12:57 - The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office has ordered additional evacuations due to the Alexander Mountain Fire burning near Loveland. Around noon today residents near Masonville and on Glade Road from US 34 to Indian Creek were told to evacuate immediately. All previous mandatory evacuation orders for the area are still in place.The Sheriff’s Office has also told residents of Hidden Valley east of Devil's Backbone including Ridge Parkway and Spring Glade Road to the north to be prepared to evacuate. Incident Command Mike Smith says resources are strapped because of a number of big fires in the West. Fire managers have ordered a Complex Incident Management Team for assistance. See a more recent evacuation map here.

Updated at 11:56 a.m. - Incident Commander Mike Smith with the Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests provided an update a short time ago. Here are the most important points:

A Complex Incident Management Team has been ordered. They'll take command of the fire and bring in a lot more people and equipment than is currently available. Meanwhile, mandatory evacuation orders remain in effect.

The fire is currently at 1,820 acres with zero containment. It burned steadily throughout the night with low humidity. Breezes are expected to pick up this afternoon which will contribute to the fire's spread. According to the Forest Service, 220 ground crews and several helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft are working the fire.

Officials also provided an update on the fire's perimeter:

  • To the west: The fire is holding in the Cedar Creek area but is expected to start spreading soon.
  • Hwy 34: The fire has spread about one-third of the way down the canyon but may encounter rocky terrain and run out of fuels soon.
  • The fire is one-half mile from Slyvandale Ranch but moving to the north.
  • The biggest risks are to the north and west. The fire is slowly moving to the north. Command and crews are still trying to determine the best plan of attack in those areas.

Updated at 9:12 a.m. - Firefighters expect the arrival of two "super scooper" planes today. The aircraft dip down to lakes and reservoirs, fill a belly with water, then dump it on the fire. Today’s firefighting strategy will be dictated by wind and weather, and officials have yet to share details about any specific plans for the day.

“Our first priority is to make sure we protect and preserve life, and make sure everybody is safe from there,” said Ali Adams, a public information officer with the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.

Adams said officials plan to hold a briefing later this morning, and potentially hold another in the afternoon.

Updated at 8:10 a.m. - Officials with the U.S. Forest Service said the fire did not spread much overnight. It was measured at 992 acres on Monday night. The fire crept slowly downhill overnight, with no major runs. Forest service officials said they will share more updates this morning after briefing their own staff.

Updated at 6:47 a.m. - Some people in the mandatory evacuation areas will not receive their mail today. According to the US Postal Service, impacted customers will be able to retrieve their mail at designated alternative post offices and should check with the post office for specific locations. The post offices in Masonville and Drake are temporarily closed while the fire continues to burn.

Updated at 6:18 a.m. on Tuesday - Crews from 31 different agencies continue to work on the Alexander Mountain Fire. The fire is estimated to be 950 acres with 0% containment, according to the final Monday night update from the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office. No new evacuations were issued overnight.

The fire is burning almost entirely on National Forest Land, and U.S. Forest Service officials said they’re planning to set up an inter-agency management team to take command of fire response. Officials are expected to provide an update on the fire later this morning.

Updated at 5:59 p.m. - The fire has been remapped at 864 acres, according to Larimer County Joint Information Center officials. The fire is approximately half a mile from US 34 near Cedar Cove Road.

Updated at 3:58 p.m. - The fire has grown to approximately 365 acres. The Larimer County Joint Operations Center has confirmed that 28 agencies are on site.

The Larimer County Sheriff's Department has issued an order for mandatory evacuations due to a wildfire near Alexander Mountain. According to the sheriff's department, the fire is currently continuing to grow with an estimated 237 acres currently burning. For updates fro Larimer County, text the word LCEVAC to 888777 to receive text message alerts about evacuations, road closures, and other important updates.

The Larimer County Joint Information Center has announced that the USDA Forest Service will assume command July 30.

We will continue to update this story.

Smoke rises from the Colorado foothills
1 of 7  — Big Thompson Fire 1.jpg
The Alexander Mountain Fire as seen from Devil's Backbone Open Space in Loveland early Monday afternoon, July 29, 2024.
Gabe Allen / KUNC
A red helicopter against a smoky blue sky
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A helicopter flies over the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch.
Gabe Allen / KUNC
A helicopter flies into clouds of smoke above a pine forest
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The eastern edge of the Alexander Mountain Fire in Loveland on July 29, 2024.
Gabe Allen / KUNC
State Patrol cars block the road with wildfire smoke billowing in the background
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Colorado State Patrol Cars block Highway 34 near the mouth of Big Thompson Canyon around 5pm on July 29, 2024.
Gabe Allen / KUNC
A plane expels a red cloud of fire retardant onto a mountainside
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A plane drops fire retardant onto the Alexander Mountain Fire.
Gabe Allen / KUNC
A helicopter sprays water on a burning hillside
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A helicopter drops a load of water from a nearby reservoir.
Gabe Allen / KUNC
A helicopter flies toward the camera from the mouth of a mountain canyon
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A helicopter leaves the fire's edge for more water.
Gabe Allen / KUNC

Mandatory and Volunteer Evacuations

Mandatory Evacuations
To access the evacuation zone map, go here.

  • Drake to Dam Store along Highway 34 including Storm Mountain and Palisade Mountain
  • Area of Waltonia Road, Eden Valley to Sunrise Ranch, and Sylvan Dale to Ellis Ranch
  • Bobcat Ridge Natural Area
  • Flatiron Reservoir
  • CR18E from Pole Hill to Pinewood Reservoir
  • Horsetooth Reservoir is being utilized in support of wildfire operations and is being evacuated for those purposes, not due to fire. Please AVOID the area until further notice.
  • Masonville area and Glade Road from US 34 to Indian Creek Road

Voluntary Evacuations

  • Hidden Valley east of Devils Backbone including Ridge Pkwy and Spring Glade Rd to the north.
  • CR18E from CR31 to CR 29

Evacuation Centers

Evacuation centers have been set up at Namaqua Elementary School at 209 N. Namaqua Ave. and at the Estes Park Events Complex at 1125 Rooftop Way, Estes Park. Evacuation locations for animals have been set up at The Ranch Events Center, NoCo Humane Society and Island Grove Regional Park. The NoCo Humane Society for evacuation asks that you call 970-226-3647, opt. 0 for more information.

Travelers should know that U.S. 34 is closed between County Road 29 and County Road 43 because of the fire.

Evacuation Centers

Animal Shelters

Follow live footage of the fire at ALERTWest.

Colorado's Assistant State Climatologist Becky Bollinger shared video on X, formerly known as Twitter, of her view of the fire.

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