Fern Lake Fire Update

As a result of the strong winds that blew through Rocky Mountain National Park on Friday night and Saturday morning, the Fern Lake Fire has more than doubled in size. Officials say that the fire spread approximately 3 miles in 35 minutes during the early morning hours of December 1st. The rapid advancement of the blaze forced the evacuation of more than 1000 people.

Here's a photo of Moraine Park by Bjorn Skovlin that was posted on the InciWeb website:

On Friday the fire was mapped at 1515 acres:

As of yesterday it was mapped at 3584 acres, and clearly shows how the fire advanced through the Moraine Park area:

Here's an update, as of last night, from 7News in Denver:



A community and evacuee meeting is scheduled for 5 pm today at the Town Hall board room, 170 MacGregor Avenue. This meeting will be live streamed at www.estes.org/boardsandmeetings and broadcast live on local cable channel 12.

There is also a Red Flag warning today.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG WARNING FOR WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 AM MST MONDAY. THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* AFFECTED AREA...FIRE WEATHER ZONES 214...215 AND 216.

* TIMING...WINDS WILL INCREASE THROUGH TODAY ESPECIALLY IN THE AFTERNOON. LOW HUMIDITIES WILL ALSO DEVELOP AS TEMPERATURES CLIMB INTO THE UPPER 40S AND 50S. WINDS WILL BECOME EVEN STRONGER TONIGHT...THOUGH IT WILL BE TURNING COLDER WITH HIGHER HUMIDITIES.

* WINDS...WEST 25 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 65 MPH.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AS LOW AS 17 PERCENT.

* IMPACTS...FIRES WILL BE EASIER TO START AND WILL SPREAD MORE QUICKLY UNDER THESE CONDITIONS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND UNSEASONABLE WARM TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE RAPID FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.

Based on wind forecasts for this evening, residents should be aware that pre-evacuation and evacuation notices could be expanded. You can sign up for emergency notifications at www.leta911.org.

For visitors, you may want to note that the Fall River Visitor Center will be open all week from 9am-4pm.

For the latest updates on the fire, visit the Inciweb website. To keep up with the latest weather related developments and forecasts, please click here.


Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Evacuations for 700+ ordered for Fern Lake Fire near Estes Park

Update as of 1 pm: Firefighters are holding the Fern Lake Fire within the boundaries of Rocky Mountain National Park. Fire managers are cautiously optimistic regarding management of the fire as winds are not as extreme as they were overnight. The priorities for are: Firefighter and public safety Incident stabilization Controlling the fire perimeter keeping the fire from spreading beyond the park boundaries so residents may be allowed to re-enter when it is safe for them to do so. Multiple resources are on order, including a Type I Incident Management team, hot shot crews, additional engines, two additional type I helicopters, and all available local resources.

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Strong winds overnight have pushed the Fern Lake Fire into the Moraine Park area of Rocky Mountain National Park.

As a result, more than 700 people living near Estes Park were ordered to evacuate this morning. According to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office, evacuations have been ordered for: Highway 66 and all adjacent streets including the YMCA High Drive; and all adjacent streets on Marys Lake Road up to Moraine Ave and Marys Lake on the West side.

Evacuees were asked to meet at Estes Park High School at 1600 Manford Avenue in Estes Park. Larimer County Sheriff's Office and Estes Park Police Department are facilitating evacuations. The affected public may call 970-498-5500 for more information.

The Moraine Park Campground in Rocky Mountain National Park was also evacuated at 1:50 a.m.

As of 4:00 a.m. this morning, December 1st, the fire had not crossed Bear Lake Road. However, parts of the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park is now closed until further notice. The park housing area as well as park headquarters and Beaver Meadows Visitor Center is also in the evacuation area. Currently, other RMNP areas on the east side are open, including Lumpy Ridge, Lily Lake, Longs Peak, Wild Basin. The Fall River Visitor Center and the west side of the park are currently open.

The higher winds have contributed to increased fire behavior and a spot fire in the southwest corner of the fire, west of the confluence of the Forest and Spruce Canyons. The fire is burning actively and creating additional spot fires from embers that have landed on receptive fuel beds. Increased smoke from the additional fire behavior may be more noticeable. The fire is now estimated to be 1515 acres.

A high wind warning is in effect until 11 a.m. today, which includes west winds of 25-45 mph, with gusts up to 75 mph possible.

For the latest updates on the fire, visit the Inciweb website. To keep up with the latest weather related developments and forecasts, please click here.


Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com