LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — A wildfire that forced evacuations in northern Larimer County remains at 128 acres and is now 5% contained, the sheriff's office said Wednesday afternoon.
No additional growth was reported despite strong winds that tested the fire boundaries, along with no rain, the U.S. Forest Service said.
The agency took over command of the Pearl Fire on Tuesday morning. The wildfire was first reported just after 11 a.m. Monday in the Crystal Lakes area about five miles northwest of Red Feather Lakes.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Forest Service said crews have established hard lines on the eastern side of the fire and are reinforcing them.
Mike Smith, Pearl Fire incident commander, said on Tuesday that multiple aircraft, including helicopters and a scooper, were being used to put water on the fire but added that high winds presented challenges to firefighting efforts.
"West winds and 40 miles per hour, after what we saw this fire do yesterday, absolutely we’re concerned. But we’re also prepared to face any of the adversities that might come our way," Smith said.
Those windy conditions continued to impact air support on Wednesday, but ground crews were working on containment, the Forest Service said.
Some mandatory evacuations for the Pearl Fire were changed to voluntary evacuations on Tuesday afternoon.
“We know we’ve displaced a lot of people from their homes, and that can be unsettling,” Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen said Tuesday afternoon. "Our goal is to get you back into your homes as soon as we can."
The sheriff's office said the fire originated on private property and was human-caused.
On Wednesday, the sheriff's office said the property where the fire began is the only structure that has been impacted so far. Feyen said his office had identified and spoken to the person who caused the fire but was not releasing details as the investigation was ongoing.
Mandatory evacuations
- Crystal Lakes, south of Black Mountain and north of Lake Erie.
- North of Highway 86 toward Panhandle Creek.
Residents are being told to evacuate immediately.
Voluntary evacuations
- The area of Lake Erie and Mitchell Ditch.
- Crystal Lakes residents from Black Mountain north to County Road 80C.
- South of County Road 86 to Highway 14.
Residents in voluntary evacuation zones are told to gather their belongings and prepare to leave.
The Larimer County evacuation map is below:
The Red Cross has opened an overnight shelter at Livermore Community Church, 284 W County Rd 74E, Livermore.
For small animal sheltering needs, contact NOCO Humane at 970-226-3647. For large animal sheltering needs, call the Joint Information Center at 970-980-2500.
For more information on evacuations and community resources, call the Joint Information Center at 970-980-2500.
