Colorado: High Park Fire 36,930 acres, 1 fatality Ongoing evacuations

Monday, June 11, 2012

Colorado: High Park Fire 36,930 acres, 1 fatality Ongoing evacuations

High Park Fire is approximately 15 miles west of Fort Collins and burned an estimated 36,930 acres as of IR flight last night.

HIGH PARK FIRE MAP

Road Closures

Incident: High Park Fire Wildfire
Released: 21 hrs. ago

The following roads are closed due to wildfire:
Hwy 14 from Walden to Ted's Place
CR 27 From Hwy 14 to Masonville
CR 44h (Buckhorn Rd) from CR 27 west
CR 52e (Rist Canyon Rd) Stove Prairie to Bellvue
CR 25e and 54e (Redstone Canyon)
Cr 38e from Masonville to Harmony Rd junction with Taft Hill Rd
Cr 23

Red Cross Safe and Well Registration

If you have been evacuated or are looking for someone who has been evacuated, you can register or check the registry at Red Cross Safe and Well. Register as "other" for the incident type. 211 can assist folks if needed (just dial 211 from your phone). https://safeandwell.communityos.org/cms/index.php

Incident Overview

The High Park Fire is approximately 15 miles west of Fort Collins and burned an estimated 36,930 acres and continues to grow. The northeast portion of the fire is active and is an area of concern. A Type 1 heavy helicopter is assisting with that portion of the fire. Pre-evacuation planning is underway with Glacier View Fire but no pre-evacuation orders have been sent.

Fire movement toward the northwest portion of Horsetooth Reservoir has subsided, however fire activity has the potential to increase in the afternoon.

The evacuation center is located at the McKee Building at The Ranch.

Evacuation orders remain in place for the following areas:

-South of County Road 38E from Gindler Ranch Road west to Milner Ranch Road (325 notifications).

-County Road 38E is now closed from Masonville to Harmony Road at the junction of Taft Hill Road.

-Crystal Mountain area including Crystal Mountain Road and the Upper Buckhorn (24 notifications).

-Bonner Peak Subdivision (183 notifications)

-Buckhorn Rd from CR27 to Pennock Pass and residents to the south approximately 3/4-1 mile. (69 notifications).

-North of CR38E, from Horsetooth Reservoir to Redstone Canyon to Lory State Park. (326 notifications)

-Stove Prairie Road north along County Road 27 to Highway 14, east along Highway 14 to approximately mile marker 111, southeast to Rist Canyon Fire Station 1, then back west to to include Wilderness Ridge Way, Rist Creek Road, Spring Valley Road and County Road 41 and all of the roads that run off of it. All of Rist Canyon (west of 27E) and all roads off of it, including Whale Rock Road and Davis Ranch Road. South 3 additional miles on County Road 44H to just north of Stringtown Gulch Road.

-Poudre Park (along Highway 14) area from mile marker 111 to mile marker 118.

-Highway 14 from Ted's Place to Stove Prairie is closed, as well as Stove Prairie Road and Rist Canyon.

-Sunday include all residents from County Road 27E to Bellvue and for the area south and west of Bellvue, including Lory State Park and Red Stone Canyon, and Buckhorn Road from Masonville up to Stove Prairie School. Evacuation ordered for CR 29C and McMurry Ranch Road (33 notifications).

Approximately 2,600 notifications (contacts, not residents) have been sent for evacuations on this fire.

Media briefings at the staging area located Watson Lake State Wildlife Area in Bellvue. (From LaPorte, go 1 mile west on County Road 54G (the main road through town) to County Road 52E (Rist Canyon Road), then 1 mile west (left) to the property entrance on the west side of the river.) Media briefings are also planned Monday at 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m., and 8 p.m.

An undetermined number of structures have been damaged or destroyed in Rist Canyon, Paradise Park, Stove Prairie, Poudre Park, Old Flowers, Stratton Park, Kings Canyon and Cloudy Pass. There could be structure damage in other locations, including Soldier Canyon and Mill Canyon. No details about the structures are available. Firefighters will continue to evaluate the area as it is safe to do so.

Evacuations have happened quickly. Structure protection, and public and firefighter safety is highest priority.

Basic Information

Incident Type	Wildfire
Cause	Under Investigation, Suspected Lightning
Date of Origin	Saturday June 09th, 2012 approx. 05:54 AM
Location	appx. 15 miles west of Fort Collins
Incident Commander	Bill Hahnenberg

Current Situation

Total Personnel	400
Size	36,930 acres
Fuels Involved	Dry fuels
Fire Behavior	The norwest portion of the fire is active and Type 1 helitankers are working in that area. Fire movement toward the northwest portion of Horsetooth Reservoir has subsided, however fire activity can increase in the afternoon. Today the fire is expected to be fuels driven and winds will be a factor. Flame lengths have been 300 feet and as been moving at 20-40 feet per minute at times.
Significant Events	Evacuations in place (see above). Go to LETA911.org to register for emergency notifications.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Approximately 400 personnel on scene. Air resources on scene include: 5 heavy air tankers, 5 SEATs (single engine air tankers), 2 Type 1 heavy helitankers and 1 Blackhawk helicoper. Approximately 15 engines are on scene. A Type 1 Management Team has assumed command as of 6:30 a.m. Monday. Additional ground, air and engines have been ordered.
Growth Potential	High
Terrain Difficulty	areas of rough terrain and beetle killed trees
Remarks	Small animals contact Larimer County Humane Society at 222-3647 or 498-5476. Large animals can go to The Ranch. Weather is expected to be warm today with light winds out of the west in the morning shifting out of the east/southeast later today. Relative humidity is expected to remain around 4 percent.

California Fire News 2012

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

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Monday, June 11, 2012