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Barbara Groves had been working outside Sunday afternoon when the first call came through telling her to evacuate her Crystal Lakes home.
Within 30 minutes — as 30-mph winds caused a 1,500-acre run of the Cameron Peak Fire, prompting a new trio of voluntary and mandatory evacuations Sunday afternoon — Groves said she was driving into Fort Collins with the clothes on her back and some food for breakfast the next day.
Groves was one of roughly 150 Cameron Peak Fire evacuees to come through the American Red Cross evacuation site at Laporte's Cache la Poudre Middle School since Sunday's mandatory evacuations of Crystal Lakes and Red Feather Lakes as well as a voluntary evacuation of the Glacier View subdivision, Red Cross mass care lead Karen McClure told the Coloradoan late Monday morning.
Mandatory evacuation alerts were sent to 6,253 contacts and voluntary orders were sent to 5,401 Sunday, according to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office. These numbers don't indicate how many people were under evacuation orders, since many residents have multiple devices registered to receive evacuation alerts and other community members can also sign up for the alerts.
With high winds also expected Monday, a surge group of 15 additional engines and firefighter crews arrived in the morning to assist firefighting efforts. The fire burned into flatter terrain, allowing firefighters a chance to engage the flames along the fire's edge, according to a morning update posted to the Cameron Peak Fire operations Facebook page.
Cameron Peak Fire: Tracking fire and smoke near Fort Collins
After growing 1,561 acres during its Sunday run, the Cameron Peak Fire remained at 104,157 acres and 15% containment as of 10 a.m. Monday. It is the second-largest wildfire currently burning in Colorado, second to the 139,007-acre Pine Gulch Fire, which is burning north of Grand Junction and is 95% contained, according to earlier Coloradoan reporting.
About three animals evacuated from the Cameron Peak Fire were in the care of the Larimer Humane Society as of 1 p.m. Monday, with more possibly expected, according to spokesperson Justin Clapp. After evacuations over Labor Day weekend, the humane society had a peak of 131 evacuated animals in its care.
The Larimer County Sheriff's Posse, which has been caring for large animals evacuated from the fire at Loveland's The Ranch, had six horses in its care after Sunday's evacuation order, Sgt. Troy Badberg said. At its peak, the Sheriff's Posse was caring for 45 large animals evacuated from the fire, according to its Facebook page.
Groves has lived in Crystal Lakes for 26 years and said the Cameron Peak Fire is the first wildfire to cause her to evacuate her home. Before Sunday's mandatory evacuations, Crystal Lakes, Red Feather Lakes and Glacier View had all been evacuated on Sept. 7 before residents were allowed back the following day.
Driving out of Crystal Lakes on Sunday, Groves said she got goosebumps as she heard announcements that the area was under imminent danger over megaphones.
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"I didn't know Larimer County had so many sheriff's deputies," she added, referencing the number of Larimer County Sheriff's Office vehicles she saw as the area was being evacuated. "I felt like, 'Dear lord, please protect us.'"
Luckily, Groves had brought her motor home into town during the first evacuation order Sept. 7. She left it there and returned to stay in it on Sunday.
"I'm very fortunate that I have a place to go," Groves said, walking into the American Red Cross evacuation center Monday morning to see when she might be able to return to her home to pick up some medications.
She was also lucky, she said, that walking into the Cache la Poudre Middle School gym — now the temporary evacuation site for Cameron Peak Fire evacuees like herself — didn't feel foreign or scary.
After all, she had taught science at the school for 26 years before retiring.
"It feels like home," she said.
Cameron Peak Fire evacuee information
- Credentials for those in mandatory evacuation areas are being offered from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. this week at Fort Collins City Hall, 300 Laporte Ave. Call 970-498-5855 or email oem@larimer.org prior to arriving.
- The American Red Cross fire evacuation center is located in the Cache la Poudre Middle School gymnasium, 3515 W. County Road 54G in Laporte. For more information, call 970-481-1243.
- A live community meeting is planned for 7:30 p.m. Monday on the Cameron Peak Fire's official Facebook page.
Erin Udell reports on news, culture, history and more for the Coloradoan. Contact her at ErinUdell@coloradoan.com. The only way she can keep doing what she does is with your support. If you subscribe, thank you. If not, sign up for a subscription to the Coloradoan today.
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After 1,500-acre run and new evacuations, surge of engines sent to fight Cameron Peak Fire - Coloradoan
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