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The Cameron Peak Fire is burning 23,903 acres and remains at 6% containment as of Friday morning.
Though rain recently helped reduce fire activity, hot, dry conditions returned this week and contributed to increased fire activity Thursday and Friday.
Crews conducted small-scale burnouts to protect structures in the Green Ridge area in the Colorado Highway 14 corridor Thursday, according to a Friday news release. More fire activity was expected Friday in that area as well as south of Sleeping Elephant Mountain and near the upper South Fork of the Poudre River, and additional burnouts may be conducted to protect structures.
A fire weather watch is in effect Saturday through Monday, and "considerable smoke" is expected throughout the Labor Day weekend.
As for the chance of snow coming into the area next week, planning operations section chief Jake Livingston said the fire team is "waiting on the particulars."
"We expect possibly some snow in the high country," Livingston said. "We hope for that — and what we don't hope for is wind in front of that weather system. Time will tell on that."
Get ready: Fort Collins expected to go from near-record highs Labor Day weekend to near-record lows
Air quality impacted
Those in the area should "expect to see considerable smoke from unburned fuels" Labor Day weekend, according to the update from the Cameron Peak Fire incident management team Friday.
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued another air quality advisory for Larimer County on Friday due to smoke from the Cameron Peak Fire. The Friday advisory is in effect through 9 a.m. Saturday.
Locations named in the advisory include areas along Poudre Canyon Road, Rustic, Poudre Park, Bellvue and Laporte, though smoke could extend into other areas of the county.
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COVID-19 outbreak update
At least four firefighters working the Cameron Peak Fire have tested positive for COVID-19.
A firefighter complaining of respiratory issues last week tested positive for the coronavirus, Meg Cicciarella, a public information officer with the fire team battling the Cameron Peak Fire northwest of Fort Collins, told the Coloradoan earlier this week. Two others identified through contact tracing later tested positive.
On Tuesday, another firefighter complaining of respiratory issues tested positive, Cicciarella said. One of the firefighters is being treated at a hospital. The other three are in quarantine.
Thursday, the incident management team said it believes 25 people had direct contact with the firefighter who tested positive Tuesday. Nine other firefighters had "possible contact," the team said in a news release.
Initially, it was thought that 184 personnel may have been exposed, so the forward operating base where the firefighter had arrived at the night he felt ill was locked down at the direction of the Larimer County health department Wednesday night, the release said.
COVID-19 in Colorado tracker: Larimer and state case, death and hospital data for September
Cameron Peak Fire firefighters have been using forward operating bases — smaller camps where firefighters live, eat and sleep — to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission by limiting the number of people using shared living spaces.
"The positive individual had just arrived at the (forward operating base) for the night when he felt ill and it was only those who went to help him that were directly exposed," the news release stated. Community members did not have close contact with those exposed, it added.
Fire medical personnel and the health department are working to determine who meets criteria for isolation or quarantine, as some of the 25 people believed to have direct contact may not have had enough exposure to be deemed exposed according to county guidelines.
Testing is being conducted by the Colorado National Guard Rapid Response Team, and anyone who tests positive will be relocated and isolated according to county guidelines. Those with possible exposure to the infected firefighter will be tested, relocated and quarantined, and the team will follow county guidelines for release.
Firefighters who did not have contact with the individual can also be tested and will undergo a "working quarantine," working the fire in small groups with precautions in place, while they wait for their results.
"We have a responsibility to this community and to other states to ensure that our people are healthy before we send them home," Incident Commander Bea Day said in the news release. "We know that keeping anyone isolated or quarantined won’t be popular, but it's the right thing to do. It’s due to the exceptionally good social distancing, mask wearing and hand washing practices at the (forward operating base), that this wasn’t worse."
After the outbreak is resolved, the forward operating base will be cleaned, sterilized and returned to operation.
Sarah Kyle is a content coach at the Coloradoan. Contact her at sarahkyle@coloradoan.com. Support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
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Cameron Peak Fire burning nearly 24k acres, 'considerable smoke' expected over Labor Day weekend - Coloradoan
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