Galena Fire now 85 percent contained and pre-evacuation notices for residents cancelled

Pre-evacuation notices were cancelled before 7:30p

Homes near the Galena Fire


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A helicopter with a water bucket prepares to drop water on the Galena Fire Saturday.
Copyright 2013 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Galena Fire

The fire is seen across the Horsetooth Reservoir on Friday.
Copyright 2013 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Posted: 03/18/2013
Last Updated: 66 days ago

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Pre-evacuation notices for residents living near the Galena Fire are now cancelled.

Winds remained a problem Monday, firefighters continued to increase their lines around the fire burning near the Horsetooth Reservoir. At 7:30 p.m., Larimer County reported the fire was 85 percent contained.

"We wish the wind would die down, but it is holding -- Our containment lines are holding at this time," Larimer County Emergency Services spokesman Tony Simons said. "At this time there is still a lot of heat underneath the timber and in some of the areas, so that is what we’re trying to control at this point.

In fact, the winds Monday afternoon have grounded the one helicopter that otherwise would be fighting the fire.

Earlier in the day, two helicopters were able to fly and drop water on the area. One was released but the other remains on call for the firefighters.

"We wish the wind would die down. Our containment lines are holding," Simons said.

Simons said the fire's estimated size remains at 1,348 acres.

There are 130 firefighters on the line Monday and they're making progress, Simons said. Since the fire started Friday, firefighters using hand tools have carved out more than five miles of containment line around the wildfire.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but Simons was able to rule out some possible causes. He said it was not caused by a campfire or a prescribed burn. There are indications the fire was caused by humans, however.

At its height, the fire forced hundreds of residents from their homes Friday.  Evacuees were allowed to return Saturday night. Pre-evacuation notices remain in effect Monday, because of concerns about the wind.

For the first time Monday, reporters were able to enter the neighborhood that was evacuated Friday and see where the fire began.

"If the wind had blown the other way, I might not be here," said Ingeborg Steiner, who lives in the neighborhood on Galena Court where the fire began.

Steiner compared the fire's movement to water on a beach.

"I saw the fire like creeping across the red flames across the ridge there," she said. "I was absolutely flabbergasted. I couldn’t understand how something, how can it go so fast."

No structures have been damaged by this fire.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries during this fire.  Both were treated at a local hospital and released.

Copyright 2013 Scripps Media, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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