Evacuations lifted for residents near brush fire in Northern Colorado
Officials briefly issued evacuation orders for some residents in Northern Colorado when a brush fire broke out nearby.
On Monday, the Larimer County Sheriff's Office issued a mandatory evacuation alert at 1:13:07 p.m., telling residents in the Fox Hills area of Fort Collins who were closest to the fire to leave immediately. This included residents south of Horsetooth Road and west of Taft Hill Road, including County Road 38E and Hidden Springs Road.
Another alert, this time a voluntary evacuation order, went out shortly after, at 1:13:12 p.m., for residents in the wider area. That order affected residents from West Prospect Road south to West Horsetooth Road and South Taft Hill Road west to South Overland Trail.
The voluntary evacuations were lifted by 1:27 p.m. Authorities later lifted the mandatory evacuation order at 1:35 p.m.
The Poudre Fire Authority says Fort Collins 911 received a report of a fire involving a fence and trees in the 4100 block of Red Fox Rd. around 12:48 p.m. Firefighters arrived to find the flames spreading rapidly and threatening multiple structures nearby. Due to the close proximity of multiple homes, the PFA says additional fire crews responded, and the decision was made to issue mandatory and voluntary evacuations.
Ultimately, the fire burned approximately two acres, and no structures were damaged. Most of the crews have been released, and some firefighters will remain at the scene for mop-up operations.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The City of Fort Collins has been in Stage 1 fire restrictions since March 25 due to increased fire danger across the region.
An intense heat wave has pushed into Colorado, with many areas of the state under heat advisories and extreme heat warnings. Temperatures in Fort Collins are expected to reach as high as 100 degrees on Monday.
