Cameron Peak Fire evacuees find shelter
Some faced with new mandatory evacuations brought on by the Cameron Peak Fire had one thought when they heard the call: Here we go again.
Wednesday brought several mandatory and voluntary evacuation notices as the fire saw increased activity caused by high winds, starting in the morning, a list that was updated throughout the day.
To house those who had no choice but to leave their homes, the Red Cross of Colorado set up emergency shelter housing at Courtyard Fort Collins at 1200 Oakridge Drive in Fort Collins. Evacuees also found their way to the Wingate By Wyndham, located at 5360 Ronald Reagan Blvd. in Johnstown.
For some, Wednesday proved to be a long day, starting off with trying to gather belongings before having to leave their home. Rachel Herrera was awake at 2 a.m. because of the heavy smoke around her home in the Buckhorn Canyon. While this is not her first time evacuating, she said orders like those on Wednesday were a lot more difficult as she had significantly less time to prepare.
“It is always nerve-wracking but I am kind of used to it,” Herrera said.
Herrera’s boyfriend, Brian Guy, said while she grabbed her art supplies, supplies for her animals and items for her son, he was in charge of clearing out the fridge. Guy said they were aware the evacuation call would most likely come as they had been watching updates on the fire.
“It was not a total shock, but I think ultimately when I opened my eyes I was like ‘today is the day and we might not be coming back for a while,’” Guy said.
Many in the areas evacuated, like Guy, were prepared for the call.
Robyn Trask, who lives in the lower Buckhorn area, said a great deal of her things already were at her office in Loveland because she had prepared for more evacuations. When the evacuations came, though, Trask said she knew what to grab.
“Because we have been through this before we know what to grab, which is basically our animals, our hard drives and computers, some clothes and then a few emergency papers and my photo albums,” Trask said. “The rest of it, oh well.”
Those that are evacuated are now trying to figure out how to take the situation day by day. Matt Charboneau, who lives in the Storm Mountain area, said he is trying to find a place to continue teaching sign design virtually.
“I grabbed all of my technical equipment and so now today my goal is to find where to set up because I got classes tomorrow I have to teach,” Charboneau said.
Among those evacuated thanks and appreciation went out to those working the fire and working to help the people displaced.
“I always tell people don’t risk your lives for my stupid stuff up there,” Charboneau said. “We all just thank God for the firefighters, the feds that are up there now, our local team. Everybody has worked so hard to get a hold of this thing and it is a monster.”
Jesus Garcia, who evacuated with Trask, said early in the morning they were helped by the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office to safely evacuate themselves and their animals, which are now housed at The Ranch.
“Everyone has been amazing up there,” Garcia said. “Words can’t explain just how nice they have been.”
“Godspeed and thank you to the firefighters and the police departments,” Guy said. “Mountain people are tough.”
Anyone looking for more information on evacuation updates can visit nocoalert.org.