Forest Fires Burning In Park, Larimer Counties

Multiple Engines Responding To Scene

Kim Nguyen and Wayne Harrison, Staff Writers

POSTED: 1:03 p.m. MDT April 18, 2002

Two new wildfires were burning Thursday in Park and Larimer Counties.

The first was burning just northeast of Tarryall Reservoir in Park County and had consumed more than 150 acres.


	SLIDESHOW: Park County Fire Map showing fire location.

A second wildfire, estimated at 600 acres, was reported in Larimer County Thursday evening, but a cold front brought snow to help firefighters contain it.

AirTracker 7 pilot Rich Westra, who flew over the Park County fire Thursday afternoon, said the blaze was "huge" and estimated its size at 250 acres.

"I've never seen a fire move like that," Westra said.

The Topaz Mountain fire (pictured, left and right) was burning west of the Lost Creek Wilderness Area near Topaz Mountain, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Terry McCann said.

"With the very dry weather conditions we want to respond with as many resources as we can to keep fires from getting larger, growing too much in size," he said. "These dry conditions once the fire gets going will be a real challenge."

Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener said no structures were threatened as of Thursday night. Only a few ranches were in the area.

An estimated 150 firefighters and support staff were assigned to battle the fire Thursday. More personnel were to arrive Friday.

About 250 fifth-grade students who were spending the week at the Windy Peak Outdoor lab southeast of Bailey, Colo., were evacuated Thursday afternoon.

They were sent back to West Jefferson Middle School in Aspen Park, where parents picked them up at 4 p.m.

"it was really scary," said one student.

"You could kind of see some flames coming toward us," said another student who described seeing smoke and flames on the horizon.

The outdoor lab is located southeast of Bailey, on the east side of the Kenosha Mountain Range, about 4 to 5 miles from the fire.

The fire was moving into an inaccessible, remote area which will make tackling the blaze tough, 7NEWS reported.

The terrain is rugged, and there is a lot of fuel -- heavy down timber -- feeding the fire Thursday, Westra said. Winds picked up embers and caused several flareups in the dense pine area, he said.

A cold front blew through the area Thursday evening, and it was hoped that expected snow overnight might help firefighters on the fire lines.

Crews that were battling the Cedar Mountain Fire near Florissant, Colo., the last few days were sent to the scene of the Topaz fire. The Cedar Mountain Fire was contained Thursday night.

Three air tankers and a helicopter were dispatched. The first air tanker arrived shortly after 3 p.m. The rest of the air support was ready to hit the fire after dawn Friday.

The location of the fire was on the west side of the Kenosha and Platte mountain ranges.

The Topaz Mountain fire is the third large wildfire to burn in Pike National Forest this month.

Another wildfire, dubbed the Hewlett Gulch fire, broke out in Larimer County Thursday afternoon near Poudre Park, 7NEWS reported. The area is populated by year-round homes and summer cabins. A number of local residents were evacuated at one point.

Because of gusty winds, no air support was available Thursday evening, but snow began falling around 8 p.m., and helped firefighters get a handle on the blaze. There was an inch of snow on the ground by 10 p.m.

Firefighters from Glacier View, Livermore, and Larimer County joined firefighters from the forest service in battling the fire before the snow arrived.

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