High Park Fire (CREDIT: Michael Stowe)
High Park Fire (CREDIT: Michael Stowe)
High Park Fire (CREDIT: Michael Stowe)
Larimer County officials confirm 257 homes have been destroyed by the blaze.
At 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 28, officials will reopen a large section of homes to hundreds of residents in the Rist Canyon area.
Residents are encouraged to attend the upcoming citizen briefing meeting for information on safety, communications and utility information.
Residents will need to show credentials to enter the area when it opens. To facilitate the issuance of credentials, and to avoid last minute delays, officials say credentials must be obtained in advance of the citizen briefings.
The citizen briefings will be held at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 27 and Thursday, June 28. The briefings will be held at the Cache La Poudre Middle School, located at 3515 W. CR54G in La Porte.
More than 1,900 people were battling the High Park Fire.
It is the second largest fire in Colorado history, as well as the most destructive.
The High Park Fire remains at 55 percent containment after reaching 60 percent late last week.
At least 248 homes were lost, including an unknown number of other structures. The total cost to fight the fire is estimated at $31.5 million.
Pre-evacuation notifications sent to residents along Colorado Highway 14 from the Pingree Park Road on June 19, west to Glen Echo (mile marker 90), and north on CR69 to Goodell Corner. The Shoreline Drive area is also in a pre-evacuation.
The American Red Cross moved all shelter operations to Cache La Poudre Middle School, 3515 W. County Rd. 54G, in LaPorte.
The shelter at Cache La Poudre will provide shelter and food. Evacuees can continue to go to The Ranch for meals, mental health support and access to services such as a mobile health clinic and laundry.
Governor John Hickenlooper signed an executive order that authorizes an additional $5 million to the state's Disaster Emergency Fund to pay for firefighting efforts in the High Park Fire. An earlier executive order OK'd $20 million for the fire.
More than 1,900 personnel are working on the fire with a 24-hour schedule using day and night shifts. Firefighters have put in more than 250,000 hours of work on the High Park Fire, which translates into nearly 18 years-worth of hours.
There are 16 helicopters battling the blaze, as well as 164 engines. As of June 23, nearly 2.2 million gallons of water have been dropped on the fire.
According to Larimer County officials, there are more than 700 residences in the High Park Fire perimeter.
Officials continue to assess other damaged or destroyed properties.
Other evacuations include:
- An evacuation order was issued at 2 p.m. on Friday for all of Glacier View, including Kelly Flats Road. This includes all residents of Glacier View filings one through eight, homes north of County Road 74E to include Green Mountain Dr, Mount Axtell Dr., Mount Moriah Rd., Mount Simon Dr., and all connecting roadways in that area. Residents should evacuate to the Cache la Poudre Middle School at 3515 West County Road 54G LaPorte, Colo. (733 contacts)
- Mandatory evacuation orders were issued on June 17 for residents in the Hewlett Gulch subdivision area. The area runs from the Glacier View nine through 12 filings (already evacuated) east to the Hewlett Gulch Trail, north to CR 74E and south to Highway 14
- An evacuation order for the 9th, 10th and 11th filings of Glacier View, to include the area west from Eiger Road to Rams Horn Mountain Road and north from the Mount Blanc Guardian Peak area to the north end of Mount Everest Drive, was issued. Evacuations were also ordered along Many Thunders Road and south into the 12th Filing of Glacier View. The road block is located at Eiger and Many Thunders Mountain Road. An additional roadblock is located at Green Mountain Drive at CR 74E
- Pingree Park Road, Hourglass and Comanche reservoirs, east on Buckhorn Road up to and including Pennock Pass, NE to junction with Stove Prairie and Hwy 14; West to junction with Highway 15 and Pingree Park Road
- County Road 44H (Buckhorn Road) from County Road 27 to Pennock Pass and residents to the south approximately 3/4 - 1 mile
- Buckhorn Road up to the Stove Prairie School
- Poudre Canyon from MM111 to MM114 on Highway 14 (Stove Prairie to Hewlett Gulch Trail)
- The area between CR 27E and Stove Prairie Road and south through the entire Rist Canyon area including Davis Ranch Road, Whale Rock Road
- South on County Road 44H 3 miles to just north of Stringtown Gulch Road, Paradise Park Road, Moose Horn Lane, Magic Lane and Spencer Mountain Road
- Old Flowers Road from Stove Prairie Road to the 8000-block of Old Flowers Road
- 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 it
Find out road closure information here
Larimer County opened the High Park Fire Disaster Recovery Center on June 15, at Johnson Hall on the Colorado State University Campus. The center is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The center will likely remain open for three to four weeks. More information about the Disaster Recovery Center at larimer.org.
The Red Cross opened a second shelter on June 15 at the Cache La Poudre Middle School, located at 3515 West County 54G in Laporte.
Legal assistance is being made available to those affected by the High Park Fire. A toll free legal helpline is available at 1-800-332-6736. Callers will leave their name, contact information and legal issue and will be contacted by an attorney in 48 hours. For more information call 303-824-5347.
Due to the high-fire danger and the very dry conditions in Colorado, Governor Hickenlooper banned open burning and private use of fireworks throughout the state. The ban does not apply to campfires in fire pits, fireplaces, grills or controlled burns for agricultural purposes. Commercial, professional and municipal firework displays are allowed as long as they have the proper permits.
Some cities, however, already have the go-ahead for their July 4th fireworks shows. A list of cancelled and approved fireworks shows can be found here.
On June 11, authorities confirmed 62-year-old Linda Steadman died from the blaze. Search crews found Steadman's remains at her house on Old Flowers Road.
Authorities say Steadman received two notification calls. A deputy was on his way to personally warn her, but he was pushed back by flames.
Large animals and livestock can be taken to The Ranch Events Complex at 5280 Arena Circle, Suite 100 in Loveland also. Small domestic animals can be taken to the Larimer County Humane Society. If you want to help the evacuated animals, you can donate to the Larimer Humane Society online, www.larimerhumane.org.
All the wolves were evacuated from the Wolf Sanctuary after the fire broke out. If you would like to help, offers can be made on their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/nocowolfsanctuary.
The High Park Fire was first spotted at around 6 a.m. on June 9. Crews had to hike through difficult terrain to first reach the area.
Officials say lightning caused the High Park Fire.
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