Firefighters are making slow progress fighting the Alexander Mountain fire, which spread to cover more than 14 square miles west of Loveland. The team overseeing the firefighting said Friday they were watching a line of thunderstorms that could shift winds.
- The Alexander Mountain fire is the largest currently burning in Colorado and is about 5 percent contained. No injuries have been reported, but the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that two dozen homes and outbuildings have been damaged or destroyed.
- Investigators are probing the cause of the fire, which was reported through a 911 call Monday morning. Anyone with information regarding the cause and origin of the fire is asked to call the Forest Service Law Enforcement Tip Line at 303-275-5266.
- Evacuation orders are in place for a region west of Loveland that extends from Indian Mountain north, just beyond Storm Mountain and the Estes overlook, and east to Devil's Backbone and Indian Creek Road. Residents near the western and eastern edge of the evacuation area have been warned to be prepared to leave if the fire worsens.
- The U.S. Forest Service added more recreation closures to the area Thursday.
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 Island Grove Regional Park at 501 N. 14th Ave. in Greeley.
Fire crews on Thursday focused on protecting about a hundred homes near the community of Masonville on the east side of the fire, and keeping the fire away from the Cedar Park and Storm Mountain area in the west and northwest, said Jason Coil, an operations section chief for the Southwest Area Incident Management Team.
Heavy smoke on the northern Front Range from the Quarry, Stone Canyon and Alexander Mountain fires is expected Friday, according to the National Weather Service. Places south of metro Denver may also experience heavy smoke. State health authorities have issued an air quality alert for much of the region.
More than 300 firefighters are working to control the Alexander Mountain fire. A thick smoke plume was visible Thursday afternoon. The fire was most active in the interior northern portion, according to the Southwest Incident Management Team I, a federal team equipped to manage complex fires. Crews have focused on making sure the blaze does not cross Highway 34.
Coil said the growth of the Alexander Mountain fire will likely be capped to the north due to the 326 square-mile burn scar left by the 2020 Cameron Peak fire — Colorado’s largest — which eliminated a lot of vegetation that could fuel new wildfires in the area.
Firefighters also have focused on protecting the heavily forested U.S. Route 34 corridor, including a key fiber optic line, Coil said. Damage assessment teams were able to move into the area Thursday and found that at least two dozen homes and outbuildings were damaged or destroyed, according to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.
Fire crews expect above-average temperatures in the '90s on Friday, which are expected to last through the weekend and into Monday. A chance of showers and thunderstorms is possible Friday afternoon but it's unclear whether storms will help or hurt firefighting efforts.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
