Wildfire burning in northern Colorado now 5% contained

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 Tuesday evening.  

The U.S. Forest Service 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.

“We’ve seen no perimeter growth today which has been a really good thing. But this wind is going to present some challenges. But we do have multiple resources up on the fire currently,” Mike Smith, Pearl Fire Incident Commander, said at a briefing Tuesday afternoon. 

Smith said multiple aircraft, including helicopters and a scooper, were being used to put water on the fire, but added that high winds Tuesday afternoon 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.  

Smith said crews are focusing on the east side of the fire, which is closest to homes. When it comes to making a decision on where to focus crews’ efforts, he said it’s based on what areas of value are at risk.

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 Tuesday afternoon, Feyen said his office has identified and spoken to the person who caused the fire but will not be releasing details as the investigation is ongoing.

• Crystal Lakes, south of Black Mountain and north of Lake Erie.
• Near Highway 14 (Poudre Canyon Road) on the south side of Black Mountain, and west toward County Road 103. 

Residents are being told to evacuate immediately.

• The area of Lake Erie and Mitchell Ditch.
• Crystal Lakes residents from Black Mountain north to County Road 80C. 

An area of Wyoming directly across the state line was also under voluntary evacuation status: from the state line to Sportsman Lake Road on the north, Ashby Loop on the west and Highway 287 on the east.

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. 

A large animal evacuation center is open at The Ranch in Loveland, 5280 Arena Circle.

For more information on evacuations and community resources, call the Joint Information Center at 970-980-2500.