Structures Burn, Whereabouts Of Some Residents Unknown In High Park Fire
LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - Crews are battling a large wildfire burning Larimer County that has damaged at least 18 structures.
The fire is estimated at 8,000 acres and is zero percent contained. It not clear what kind of structures were damaged in the fire but they were located in the Old Flowers Road area where the whereabouts of some of the residents is unknown. Officials said they are definitely worried that some people may have been trapped by the fire.
The fire started in the Paradise Park of Larimer County and quickly exploded.
VIDEO: The Latest On The Fire From The Larimer County Sheriff's Office
Evacuations have been ordered for 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.
Officials said 733 notifications were sent out, including to a wolf sanctuary where the owners were rounding up the animals to evacuate.
An evacuation center has been set up at Cache La Poudre Middle School located at 3515 West Count Road 54G in Laporte.
Watch Stan Bush's report on the evacuations in the video below:
There was one report of a resident who refused to leave his home. Fire crews marked the home and moved on.
Road closures in the area are as follows:
-- CR27 (Stove Prairie Road) south from Highway 14
-- CR27 north of CR44H
-- CR44H (Buckhorn Road) west of CR27
-- CR52E (Rist Canyon Road) west of CR27E
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There are five single engine air tankers (SEATS), two Type 1 helicopters, two Type 3 helicopters and an Air Attack Command Plane assisting in fighting the fire. There are also two heavy tankers with more on order. About 200 firefighters are on the ground with 15 engines and three water tenders.
Watch a report on the air attack of the High Park Fire in the video below:
The fire is burning on both private and Forest Service land.
PHOTO GALLERY: High Park Fire
One firefighter was taken by ambulance out of the area due to heat exhaustion.
The cause of the fire is unknown.
Watch Howard Nathan's interview with a man who attended a wedding party that needed to evacuate from Sky Corral Lodge in the video below:
The Larimer Humane Society is providing temporary shelters for dogs, cats, small mammals and small farm animals -- the size of a goat or smaller -- for individuals affected or displaced by the High Park Fire. Horses and cattle can be taken to the Ranch-way Feed building at The Ranch located directly adjacent to I-25, just north of Highway 34, in Loveland, Colorado. Evacuees requiring assistance for their pets are encouraged to contact 970-226-3647 ext. 7 to speak with an Animal Protection and Control dispatcher. Visit: the Larimer Humane Society website for more information.
LINK: High Park Fire Information
Meanwhile, in Erie, a grass fire has destroyed four structures at a farm near Interstate 25 and Colorado 7.
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