Fire crews are still working to contain the Alexander Mountain fire, which ignited Monday and has grown to cover nearly 12 square miles west of Loveland. The U.S. Forest Service said Thursday that the fire was about 1 percent contained.
- The Alexander Mountain fire is the largest currently burning in Colorado. Nobody has reported injuries and no homes or buildings have been damaged.
- Investigators are probing the cause of the fire, which was reported through a 911 call Monday morning.
- Evacuation orders are in place for a region west of Loveland that extends from Indian Mountain north to the Dunraven Trailhead and east to Velvet Ridge Ranch. Residents near the western and eastern edge of the evacuation area have been warned to be prepared to leave if the fire worsens.
- Nearly 450 firefighters are working to control the fire Thursday, which is now being overseen by the Southwest Area Incident Management Team, a national firefighting team that specializes in complex wildfires.
- Teams have called in repeated air drops of water and fire retardant, but the U.S. Forest Service said thick smoke on Wednesday prevented pilots from making as many drops as they wanted.
Evacuation information
- Evacuation Centers have been set up at Foundations Church at 1380 N. Denver Ave. in Loveland and at the Estes Park Events Complex at 1125 Rooftop Way in Estes Park.
- Residents can evacuate large animals to The Ranch at 5290 Arena Cir. in Loveland.
On Wednesday, Incident Commander Mike Smith said firefighters were concentrating on keeping the blaze away from U.S. Route 34 on the south side of the fire and the Cedar Park area towards the northwest.
“It's a tough place to fight fire,” Smith said. “It's one way in, one way out. We're doing what we can.”
The National Weather Service expects warm, dry conditions to continue Thursday, with elevated wildfire conditions in many areas. Skies across the northern Front Range will likely be hazy due to wildfire smoke, which prompted state health officials to issue an air quality alert for the region.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
