Evacuations, road closures ordered as wildfires grow
The Cameron Peak and East Troublesome fires forced new evacuations and road closures Friday as gusty winds prompted increased fire activity.
The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office issued mandatory evacuation orders for U.S. 34 from the Dam Store to just west of Soul Shine Road. Officials also issued voluntary evacuations from Pinewood Reservoir to Flatiron Reservoir.
State transportation officials closed U.S. 34 to through-traffic from Mall Road in Estes Park to near the Dam Store to allow for emergency evacuations of residents in the canyon.
The Cameron Peak fire — the largest in Colorado’s recorded history — has burned 167,153 acres, 261 square miles, in the Roosevelt National Forest as of Friday morning.
The East Troublesome fire has burned 7,871 acres, more than 12 square miles, in Grand County. On Friday, the winds forced closures for all public lands north of Hot Sulphur Springs to Willow Creek Pass and east to U.S. 34.
Firefighters were successful in attacking the Cameron Peak fire directly Thursday, following a day of intense winds, fire officials said.
Unlike Wednesday, the calmer winds allowed fire officials to use air resources, including three large air tankers and four type 1 helicopters.
Calm winds Friday morning allowed crews to use aerial resources to assess the fire; however, as winds picked up, all airborne operations had to be grounded, said Michelle Kelly, a Cameron Peak fire spokeswoman.
Fire crews on Friday are focused on structure prevention at the Colorado State University Mountain Campus and Pingree Park area, Kelly said, along with the Colorado 27 corridor and Rocky Mountain National Park.
Firefighters also are monitoring Glen Haven in case the fire moves in that direction.
Both fires’ expansion sent smoke up and down the Front Range on Friday afternoon, with skies darkening from Fort Collins to Denver.