According to NOCOAlert, “The East Troublesome Fire officials have upgraded to Mandatory evacuations for the eastern side of Estes Park. This is a large area that has a north border of Devils Gulch Road, west border of MacGregor Avenue, south border of Pierson Mountain, and east borders of Highways 34 and 36. This will close Highway 34 at Sleepy Hollow Park, and close Highway 36 at approximately mile marker 8. Mandatory Evacuations have been ordered for residents and business occupants in the area due to immediate and imminent danger. Evacuate the area immediately and as quickly as possible. Do not delay leaving to gather belongings or make efforts to protect your home or business. Evacuating immediately not only supports your safety, but also allows emergency crews better access to the area. For text updates, text the word TFIRE to 888777 from your cell phone. We will communicate information to that key word as needed. To view a map of the evacuation areas, please visit nocoalert.org. Please do not call 9-1-1 unless you are in danger.”
According to the Estes Valley Fire Protection District, “At 8:45 pm, we received reports of increased fire activity on Mount Wuh. A fire officer went to patrol, and reported the sighting to local incident resources. We scouted from WIndcliff and Bear Lake Road, but the fire was not visible due to heavy smoke presence in the valley. At 11:00 pm, Night Operations called us to request a surge of resources to assist with impending fire behavior. We reached out to mutual aid and received a total of 24 engines from 13 agencies. 28 of your Estes volunteers are staffing six apparatus. We’ve already received apparatus from Loveland, Big Elk, Glen Haven, Pinewood Springs, Allenspark, Platte Valley, Berthoud, Greeley, Evans, Front Range, WIndsor, and Frederick Firestone. More have offered, and will be called upon as things develop. These resources were divided into three task forces with leadership ready to protect values, depending on where the fire impacts. Initial efforts will be focused on Bear Lake Road in RMNP, along the Highway 66 corridor, and off of High Drive. Additional resources from other Divisions on the fire are being routed to Estes to assist.
Winds are sustained at 25 mph, gusting to 50 mph out of the west / southwest. The fire has not moved far off of Mount Wuh, but is starting to show increased fire behavior (crown fire runs) as temperatures increase. We anticipate that with the rising sun, fuels will warm up and we’ll see this behavior intensify.
The Emergency Operations Center was re-opened at 1:00 am, bringing together our unified command, public information officers, and key staff from local government. This ensures that all agencies are operating in unison on the same information. As things like evacuations are needed, this is crucial.
We have a very hard 24 hours ahead of us. Until the snow arrives, all we can do is attempt to catch spot fires as they arrive and protect homes point to point. The forecast is promising, if it gets here in time. It’s good to know that when we call for help, there are MANY who were willing to step up. We can’t thank them enough. We will report more when we can.
(1 – 06:00) Updated fire location is south of South Lateral Moraine to Bierstadt Lake. We expect the fire to exit the park by sunrise. In the canyon, the fire is nearing the mouth of Moraine Park. Current Task Forces are deployed along Highway 66. Additional resources have been ordered.
(2 – 06:45) Advance of fire still moving east towards Highway 66. We have shut off power to Highway 66, northern Mary’s Lake Rd, and High Drive.
(3 – 07:05) The fire is south of Steep Mountain in the Mill Creek drainage. It is approximately 0.75-1 mile west of Bear Lake Rd. Crews are unable to see the location in Moraine, but believe it’s at the mouth of the canyon.
(4 – 07:40) Another 12 engines are encountering to support our mutual aid engine. Additional agencies have been contacted and organizing. These are working in coordination with resources from the Incident Management Team to increase the probability of success.”
From the Town of Estes Park, “The East Troublesome Fire – Thompson Zone is moving rapidly due to high winds. The entire Estes Valley is now under MANDATORY evacuation orders. Anyone remaining in the valley should leave immediately preferably using US 34 or US 36 to the east. Do not delay; drive safely. Evacuations were also upgraded to MANDATORY for the Highway 7 corridor south of Lily Lake overnight.
Real-time emergency alerts and evacuation zones map: www.nocoalert.org
For text updates on the Troublesome Fire, text the word TFIRE to 888777.
For text update on the Cameron Peak Fire, text the word LCEVAC to 888777.
Watch www.cotrip.org for updates on state highways.
Joint Information Center: 970-980-2500 (opens at 8 a.m.) and www.larimer.org/cameron-peak-fire (evacuation resources, shelter, animals, etc.)
Larimer Sheriff’s media info line: 970-980-2501
Information on the East Troublesome Fire Thompson Zone and Cameron Peak Fires is available at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6964/ or www.facebook.com/cameronpeakfire. Email 2020.cameronpeak@firenet.gov or call 970-541-1008 (8 a.m.- 8 p.m.)
Source Article from https://www.eptrail.com/2020/10/24/all-of-estes-park-under-mandatory-evacuation/
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