Evening Update for the High Park Fire Issued 062212 at 9:30 p.m. by High Park Fire Public Information Officer
The High Park Fire is estimated at 69,543 acres with 45%
containment. The current cost of the
fire to date is estimated at $25.5 million dollars. The fire personnel increased to 1,879, with 18
helicopters (includes 3 Blackhawks), 11 bulldozers and 135 engines fighting the
fire at this time with a 24-hour work schedule still in place.
Additional emergency evacuations were
ordered 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 Shoaf 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. This is a total of 998
emergency evacuations sent out today.
The Buckhorn repeater and communications tower were threatened
and multiple campgrounds and recreation sites are closed to public use. Stove Prairie Elementary School is threatened
at this time and numerous other subdivisions remain under mandatory evacuations.
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.
Rist Canyon Fire-www.rcvfd.org
Poudre Canyon Fire-www.poudre-fire.org
Fire Behavior:
A spot fire across the Poudre Canyon on the north side of the fire became
established and made a major run to the north, threatening several
subdivisions. Field assessments are
being conducted to determine the extent of fire spread, values at risk, and
appropriate actions. A Red Flag Warning
has been issued from 1200 (noon) Friday, June 22nd through 8:00 p.m. on
Saturday, June 23rd. Fire has become
established north of the Poudre River and is spreading to the east. Large, unburned interior islands continue to
pose threats to homes on the interior of the fire.
The fire continues to spread west into steep, inaccessible areas with
beetle killed timber on the west and northwest portions of fire. A long term planning group is continuing to
assess and develop contingencies and MAPs for this area. The burn area is located within a watershed
that supplies several municipalities. Potential long term impacts from the fire
include evacuations, security needs, air quality, and recreation use.
Weather:
A Red Flag Warning began at noon today, ending
Saturday evening. Fire activity is
expected to increase during the Red Flag Warning. At this time, winds are pushing the fire to
the east and the northeast.
Structures Damaged:
The total of homes
destroyed to date is 191. An unconfirmed
preliminary report indicates that 4 to 10 more structures may be destroyed with
the increase in fire activity today. The number of structures and outbuildings reported lost may increase as
official verifications and confirmations are completed.
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 has been changed to 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/
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 7 a.m. to 7
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. However, beginning Monday, June 25th, the
center will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday;
Saturday and Sunday hours will remain the same. For more information, please
visit their website at http://www.safety.colostate.
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 atwww.inciweb.org/incident/
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/
http://larimer.org/
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 www.larimer.org
Julie M. Berney
Public Information Officer
Larimer County Sheriff's Office
