The High Park Fire, first reported June 9th fifteen miles west of Fort Collins, is being reported as 45% contained. As of the last update the fire had grown to 82,000+ acres, and new evacuations have been ordered for the area. Several roads remain closed, one fatality has been confirmed, and 191 homes have been destroyed. There are now more than 1900 firefighters on the ground battling the blaze.

11:18am (6/43) Update:

Fire officals have issued an all-clear for residents on Kings Canyon Rd, Unger Mountain Rd, Smith Bridge Rd, Manners Ln, and residents living on Hwy 14 from Kings Canyon Rd west to the Grey Rock Trail Head.  Residents will need to show identification with proof of address at the Hwy 14/County Rd 29C roadblock in order to obtain a pass to enter the area.  Passes will be issued starting at noon today, June 24th.  Residents are reminded to drive with caution in the area as fire crews continue to work the fire.

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10:34am (6/24) Update:

The High Park Fire is estimated at 82,114 acres with 45 percent containment. The current cost of the fire to date is estimated at $27.6 million dollars. There are 1923 fire personnel and that number will increase as additional resources arrive today.  In addition there are 13 Type 1 hand crews, 21 Type 2 hand crews, 154 engines, 11 dozers and 27 water tenders. Air Resourcesinclude 6 Type 1 helicopters, 3 Type 2 helicopters, 6 Type 3 helicopters, 5 heavy air tankers, 1 Type 2 helicopter with a radiometric imaging system attached and fixed wing support aircraft.

Emergency evacuations were ordered Friday to include all residents of filings 1 through 8 in Glacier View, homes north of County Rd 74E to include Green Mountain Dr., Mount Axtell Dr., Mount Moriah Rd., Mount Simon Dr. and all connecting roadways in that area. An additional evacuation was issued along Highway 14 from Hewlett Rd. and Wild River Rd., east on Hwy 14 to include Falls Creek Dr, all of Poudre Park, Wonderful Place, Ray Shoal Lane and east to Manners Lane. This includes all homes addressed on the north and south sides of Hwy 14 between Hewlett Rd and Manners Ln. Fire officials also included an emergency evacuation order for residents along County Road 74E from Hewlett Gulch Road east to County Road 37. Residents should evacuate to Cache La Poudre middle school at 3515 W. CR54G in Laporte and these evacuation orders are still in place.

Fire officials have ordered a pre-evacuation notice to Bonner Peak Subdivision, including Springs Ranch Rd.  The pre-evacuation is also for County Road 74E from the junction of Hwy 287, west to include County Road 37, north to include County Road 76H, east to Hwy 287 and south to County Road 74E. All residents need to be prepared to evacuate at a moment's notice.

Residents of Red Feather Lakes and Crystal Lakes are asked to use Cherokee Park Road (CR 80C) to access their residences as County Road 74E is closed at Mile Marker 1. However, residents can go south on Boy Scout Ranch Road to Hwy. 14 and go west on Hwy 14.

The Rist Canyon, Glacier View and Poudre Canyon Volunteer Fire Departments are looking for donations to help defray the costs of firefighters assigned to the High Park Fire. To make a donation, please visit their websites at:

  • Glacier View Fire -www.glacierviewfiredept.com
  • Rist Canyon Fire - www.rcvfd.org
  • Poudre Canyon Fire -www.poudrecanyonfpd.org (Website is temporarily unavailable.) Contributions may be made to Cache La Poudre Fire & Emergency Group, P.O. Box 952, Laporte, CO 80535

Note These Road Closures:

Redfeather Lakes Road (74E) is closed from 287 to Boy Scout Ranch Road (68C). Residents only can make it to MM1 on 74E.

Residents of Redfeather Lakes can travel west by taking 68C to 69 and West on Hwy 14. Redfeather residents can travel east by taking 67J (Prairie Drive) north to 80C (Cherokee Park Rd). These are windy dirt roads and it should be noted that 82E is a jeep road.

Hwy 14 is open from Ted's place to 29C. Beyond 29C, Hwy 14 is open to King's Canyon Road for residents only. Hwy 14 is closed to everyone from King's Canyon Road to Gould. 

Fire Behavior:

The spot fire in Glacier View was estimated to be 10,000 acres or 15.6 square miles. With hot, dry conditions and wind gusts to 35 mph, the spots became established yesterday in dry fuels and made an aggressive push to the northeast. Structure protection resources activated sprinklers before being forced to move back to a safe area due to fire intensity.

Today crews will continue to mop up and reinforce fire lines around structures within the fire perimeter. On the newly established fire north of Poudre Canyon, crews will focus on line construction and strengthening of completed lines. Structure protection resources will continue to work to ensure that the fire will not further affect structures within and adjacent to the Glacier View area.

Around the main fire perimeter, south of Poudre Canyon, crews will continue to secure containment lines on the southeast and west flanks. The fire has burned to the top of West White Pine Mountain and crews will manage the fire to bring it slowly down the hill to containment lines. Crews within the fire perimeter will continue to construct line around the unburned islands and structures and mop up any hotspots that are found.

A RAMS (Radiometric Airborne Mapping System) unit was ordered and arrived yesterday afternoon. The radiometric imaging system, attached to the bottom of a helicopter, will provide infrared information similar to what officials have been using, with some key differences. The advantage of the RAMS unit is that it can be used during the daytime, and it can provide real time GPS coordinates for areas of identified heat. In addition it can provide information about the heat source (open flame, smoldering, buried, or diminishing heat). This information will help firefighters determine where suppression efforts should be focused.

Weather:

A Red Flag Warning is in effect until 10:00 p.m. this evening. Temperatures will be 82 to 94 degrees with relative humidity of 11 to 15 percent. Winds will be lighter today, 10 to 15 mph, but there is a chance of dry lightning over the fire area. Wind gusts of up to 50 mph will be possible with any thunderstorm. The Haines Index is 6 and that indicates there is a high potential for extreme fire behavior, intensity, and growth.

Structures Damaged:

The total of homes destroyed to date is 191.  A very initial report indicated 4 to 10 more structures may be destroyed with the increase in fire activity. The number of structures and outbuildings reported lost may increase as official verifications and confirmations are completed. Additional information will be available at the 5 p.m. citizens meeting today.

Field assessments are being conducted to determine the extent of fire spread, values at risk, and appropriate actions.  The number of structures and outbuildings reported lost may increase as official verifications and confirmations are completed.  Official assessments and confirmations of lost structures from yesterday's fire activity have been unable to be conducted due to active fire behavior today. Large, unburned interior islands continue to pose threats to homes on the interior of the fire.

Officials are informing homeowners about fire damage as that information becomes available and the priority will be getting this information to residents first. As more assessments are made and information becomes available, residents will be notified.  Areas still evacuated are being evaluated to determine when residents may re-enter. Factors being considered before lifting an evacuation include fire activity, utility repair, emergency traffic in the area, and road hazards such as falling rocks and trees.  Formal assessment of structures is a methodical process and will continue for at least a couple of weeks. Some areas are still inaccessible due to fire activity and road hazards.

Resident Information (Meetings, Evacuation Notices and Evacuation Lift Notices):

The daily citizen briefing will be held at 5:00 p.m. at The Ranch at I-25 and Crossroads Blvd.

Road Closure Information:

Larimer County Sheriff's Office now has a webpage dedicated to road closures due to the High Park Fire. Visit the link http://larimersheriff.org/site-page/high-park-fire-road-information for more information.

Photo and Video Links:

Photos and Video from the National Guard of the High Park Fire are available at the following sites:

Additional Information/Resources:

Larimer County has opened the High Park Fire Disaster Recovery Center on the Colorado State University Campus at Johnson Hall.  The center is open Mon-Fri from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Parking is free for victims on the south side of the administration building.  For more information, please visit their website at http://www.safety.colostate.edu.

There will be an 8:00 p.m. media briefing tonight at the Atmospheric Science building, 3915 W. Laporte Avenue in Fort Collins.

Public information is available at the Larimer County Emergency Information line at 970-498-5500 where information officers are answering the phone during the day and evening, and at www.larimer.org or on Twitter @ larimersheriff or Inciweb at www.inciweb.org/incident/2904/.

Find out if your loved ones are safe here (United Way Safe and Well Registry):

For the latest updated map of the High Park Fire, check out this link: http://larimer.org/highparkfire/highpark_0622_2236.pdf

Residents are reminded to receive emergency notifications on cell phones or email and should visit the website at www.leta911.org.

For Public Health Advisories regarding wildfires, see "Wildfires and Your Health" at http://www.larimer.org/health/

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