The Cameron Peak Fire grew to 20,118 acres, while the Lewstone Fire held steady at 165 acres, resulting in some evacuated residents around the smaller fire being able to return home on Monday.
Both fires are burning in Larimer County west of Fort Collins. The Cameron Peak Fire sparked Aug. 13, and the Lewstone Fire ignited on Saturday.
The larger fire is burning in steep, rough terrain, including areas with a lot of beetle-killed trees, so crews have been attacking it in different ways.
With heavy equipment, they are working on building fire breaks away from the perimeter of the fire.
With chainsaws and hand tools, they have been reinforcing those efforts and working to clear protection spaces around structures.
And with helicopters, they have been flying in hundreds of gallons of water.
Cameron Peak
Hot, dry weather resulted in some active fire on Monday, primarily along the southern portion of the fire, according to information from the firefighting team. Some active fire burned parallel to the Poudre Canyon Road, which remains closed, so crews upped their efforts to protect homes in that area.
They had already removed debris and placed sprinklers and pumps at structures in that area, so those were put to use as was some intentionally lighted fire, burning in a controlled rather than out-of-control setting to protect homes, according to information from the fire management team.
A tunnel on the Poudre Canyon Highway was threatened by the fire, and that too, was protected by controlled fire, Jake Livingson, operations section chief, said in a recorded briefing.
A crew of 722 has been attacking the Cameron Peak Fire, including those flying nine helicopters, which are set up at three bases — one in Walden, one in Grandby and one in Fort Collins. The helicopters are used to carry supplies to remote locations as well as large buckets of water, ranging from 160 gallons to 600 gallons in one load depending upon the specific chopper.
The amount of water brought in by helicopter varies upon the needs, and the conditions of the day. On Aug. 20, the air crews hauled in 50,000 gallons of water, while on Aug. 18, they brought 136,000 gallons.
“Air operations play a crucial role in wildland fire operations,” according to a press release from the Rocky Mountain Incident Command team in charge of fighting the fire. “Helicopters have the ability to fly over remote and rough terrain with urgency to perform initial attack, reconnaissance missions and respond to medical emergencies. They’re a perfect to support ground operations in the mountainous and rugged terrain of the Cameron Peak Fire.”
Lewstone Fire
The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office reported via social media on Monday that the 180 firefighters on the Lewstone fire were “working hard constructing hand lines and on ongoing mop-up operations.” They made “steady progress” on Monday, which saw minimal fire behavior, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The fire sparked Saturday just north of the Rist Canyon Road and Pine Acres Way, and local and state fire crews hit it hard to keep it as small as possible. It has remained at 165 acres for two days, and the Sheriff’s Office is reporting that the fire is 65% contained.
On Monday afternoon, officials lifted the voluntary evacuations around Stratton Park, Davis Ranch and Whale Rock roads, cautioning residents to be careful as they returned home, and downgraded the evacuation orders at Pine Acres from mandatory to voluntary.
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August 25, 2020 at 08:19AM
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Cameron Peak fire at 20,118 acres, burns along Poudre Canyon Highway - Loveland Reporter-Herald
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