FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The Alexander Mountain Fire burning near Drake in Larimer County remained at 7,648 acres in size as command of the fire was transferred to another fire agency by Thursday morning.
The Southwest Area Incident Management Team 1 is now in command of the wildfire, which remained at 1% containment in the early hours of Thursday as 450 crews continued to work around the fire overnight. A news conference where officials will provide an update on the fire is expected to happen at 4 p.m.
Mandatory evacuation orders were still in place for Dunraven Glade, along County Road 43, including Steamside Drive and Dunraven Glade Road. The mandatory evacuation area extends north past Miller Fork Road and Dunraven Trailhead, according to a NoCo Alert.
Pre-evacuation orders were issued later Wednesday for residents in Glen Haven, west towards Dark Mountain. People in that area were advised to gather essential items and prepare for evacuation.
There have been no reports of structures destroyed or any deaths in the Alexander Mountain Fire, as of a Wednesday morning update from the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland.
As of noon Wednesday, about 4,000 people were under a mandatory evacuation order and 800 people were notified of voluntary evacuations, according to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office.
About 70% of the fire spans United States Forest Service land and 30% encompasses private land, according to the Wednesday update from Colorado Go. Jared Pols.
Residents from the north side of Carter Lake north to Highway 34, those along Glade Road from Highway 34 to Indian Creek, and residents from Drake to The Dam Store along Highway 34 were under mandatory evacuations Tuesday.
"As we swing around into the 34 area, coming up the canyon, the fire continues to move down the canyon but there's not a lot of fuel there," Mike Smith, the incident commander for the Alexander Mountain Fire, said during a Wednesday morning update. "If you're local, you know how rocky and steep it is there so the fire's just backing down. We've got fire engines and folks down there making sure all the structures are secure."
Smoke hovered over Highway 34 Tuesday, according to Smith. With windy conditions Wednesday, Smith said firefighters are keeping an eye on the southern side of Highway 34 to make sure there aren't any spot fires that crop up.
Today's Forecast
Elevated fire danger: Smoke, haze from three CO wildfires drift across Denver
"That's not a place we want fire and we're going to aggressively go after anything we discover," Smith said.
However, the main focus for firefighting crews Wednesday was Cedar Park and Cedar Grove, according to Smith.
"It's a tough place to fight fire. It's one way in one way out. We're doing what we can. We're working on plans. We've done a bunch of structure protection up there, preparing the structures to have the best chance possible to survive a fire environment," Smith said.
He did note that when the Alexander Mountain Fire moved into the Bobcat Fire Burn Scar area, fire activity decreased.
"As it gets into the Cameron, it's even gonna do more. So we've got some good options up here," Smith said.
When the smoke cleared enough for aircraft to fly, air crews dropped water and fire retardant to help secure the fire perimeter. They were successful on securing the east perimeter near Sylvan Dale Ranch, according to the U.S. Forest Service. This is expected to continue Thursday.
The Roosevelt National Forest issued a closure order earlier in the day for an area near the Alexander Mountain Fire to protect the public and firefighters' health and safety.
The closure spans National Forest System land, including Round Mountain to the south and Cedar Springs Reservoir to the north, the Roosevelt National Forest said in its announcement.
Fore more information on county and state road closures, click here.
FEMA authorized federal funds Wednesday afternoon to help with the costs to fight the Alexander Mountain Fire, as well as the Stone Canyon Fire.
"FEMA Region 8 Deputy Administrator Katherine Fox approved the state’s requests for a federal Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) after receiving each request this morning and determining that the fires threatened such destruction that it would constitute a major disaster," the agency's announcement said.
FEMA said when Fox got the request for funding Wednesday morning, the Alexander Mountain Fire was threatening more than 2,000 homes and other structures. It was also posing a risk to roads, bridges, infrastructure, utilities and watersheds, according to FEMA.
The funding can cover up to 75% of the state's eligible firefighting costs, including equipment use, repair and replacement, tools, materials and supplies.
"These grants do not provide assistance to individual home or business owners and do not cover other infrastructure damage," FEMA said.
Larimer County also declared a disaster emergency Tuesday, which will allow the county to activate more local, state and federal resources.
Gov. Polis issued a verbal disaster declaration Tuesday to also help with the response effort, allowing first responders to access more resources.
“We are working to ensure that Coloradans impacted by these fires have the resources they need and we are providing critical state support to help manage and contain these fires as quickly as possible to protect our communities and prevent costly damage. These actions will help deploy resources more quickly to Colorado communities. I’m grateful to the incredible frontline responders who are fighting these fires around the clock and I continue monitoring these fires very closely,” Polis said in a statement.
Battling the Alexander Mountain Fire is made more challenging by two other ongoing wildfires in the state — the Stone Canyon Fire and Quarry Fire — not to mention wildfires in the Pacific Northwest and Canada.
"Nationally, we're extraordinarily busy, as well as locally... Getting these assets is one of the challenging things for us," Smith said.
What started the fire is under investigation. The U.S Forest Service has created a portal for anyone to submit information that could advance the investigation. You can submit a tip by clicking here.
For updates directly from Larimer County on the Alexander Mountain Fire, click here.
