Blue circle indicates the position of our home
Blue arrows show the “red border” not contained

Containment Decreases As High Park Fire Grows

Firefighters continue to have their hands full and then some with the  enormous fire. After gaining some ground on the High Park fire, crews saw some of their progress diminished as the fire grew by 2,000 acres Friday, dropping containment from 60 percent down to 45.  The fire, already the most destructive in state history, claimed more property Friday.

This growth was on the Northwest side of the fire away from us. However there is extreme concern that what happened on the North side of the fire might happen in the South – see the “red border” which means it is NOT contained here. “Black borders” indicate areas of containment. This, of course, would endanger our home.

New helicopter video obtained Friday afternoon by CBS4 in Denver showed a home and vehicles burning in the Glacier View area (North side of the fire).  Helicopter photographer Cody Crouch reported he also saw seven other homes burn in the same area.

The crews on the ground are supplemented in their efforts against the 75,000+ acre fire by 18 helicopters and two heavy air tankers. With their joint efforts, containment of the wildfire had increased to 60 percent. That estimate was reduced to 45 percent Friday afternoon. Additional evacuation notifications were issued Friday as the fire grew, for a total of 898 new notifications.

Today, six hot shot crews, 120 personnel, 30 to 40 engines, three to four heavy air tankers and five heavy helicopters will be working on the north side of the Poudre along with an additional five dozers. However, if the winds exceed 30 miles per hour, helicopters and tankers will be put on the ground to stay there until the weather improves.

Extreme fire weather conditions will continue into tomorrow and residents of the fire area are encouraged to stay vigilant. The sheriff asked for the continued patience of those who have been evacuated from the area and those who run their businesses in the evacuated area, noting that

the fire still has a lot of potential to grow.

WEATHER

A Red Flag Warning is in effect ending Saturday evening. Throughout the morning winds will gradually increase, becoming 15-25 mph gusting to 35. Temperatures will be 85 to 90 degrees with relative humidity of 10 to 15 percent. Fire activity is expected to increase in the afternoon as the Red Flag Warning goes into effect.

Basic InformationIncident

Type Wildfire Cause Lightning On Private Land Date of Origin Saturday June 09th, 2012 approx. 05:54 AM Location appx. 15 miles west of Fort Collins Incident Commander Bill Hahnenberg

Current SituationTotal Personnel 1,879 Size 75,537 acres Percent Contained 45% Fuels Involved  10 Timber (litter and understory) Grass, Brush and Timber Fire Behavior  Full range of fire behavior across the fire today.  Yesterday afternoon, the following were observed: extreme fire behavior, medium duration crown runs, 1/4 to 1/2 mile plus spotting distances, and aggressive surface spread as the fire moved into newly available fuels.

Significant Events

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. Red Flag Warning issued from 1200 hours Friday through 2000 hours on Saturday.

Hopefully, this will not happen on the south side of the fire!