LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — A fire that has burned 128 acres in Larimer County was human-caused and originated on private property, the sheriff's office said Monday evening.
According to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), mandatory evacuations are in place for Crystal Lakes – south of Black Mountain and north of Lake Erie due to the Pearl Fire.
About an hour later, authorities extended the mandatory evacuation zone to include residents in the area of County Road 86 and County Road 170. Mandatory evacuations are also in place for residents of Crystal Lake — north of Black Mountain — extending to the Colorado/Wyoming state line.
This area was previously under a voluntary evacuation.
A total of 2,010 contacts (not homes or individuals) were notified in the evacuation zones, according to the sheriff's office.
Residents of Crystal Lake near Lake Erie and Mitchell Ditch are also under a voluntary evacuation, according to a NOCO alert.
An overnight evacuation shelter is open at Cache La Poudre Middle School, located at 3515 CR 54G in Laporte.
To view the evacuation map in full screen, click this link.
Residents who need to evacuate large animals can go to The Ranch Event Complex in Loveland located at 5280 Arena Circle. Those who need help sheltering small animals can call NOCO Humane at 970-226-3647.
The Larimer County Sheriff's Office said evacuation information and community resources were available by calling the Joint Information Center at 970-980-2500.
As of 9 p.m. Monday, the Pearl Fire has burned 128 acres and is 0% contained.
The sheriff's office said it began receiving 911 calls about smoke in the Crystal Lakes area around 11 a.m. Firefighters from the Crystal Lakes Fire Protection District and Red Feather Lakes Fire Protection District found the fire about five miles northwest of Red Feather Lakes.
About 75 personnel worked to extinguish the fire Monday and more resources have been ordered, LCSO said Monday evening.
Investigators determined that the fire originated on private property and was human-caused. The investigation remains ongoing.
The U.S. Forest Service will assume command of the fire at 6 a.m. Tuesday.
Denver7 sat down with Paul Ostroy, the fire management officer with Mountain View Fire Rescue, for insight into how agencies determine their response to wildfires.
“Larimer County is no stranger to wildfires. I’m grateful for the rapid response by our many regional partners working together seamlessly to protect this community,” said Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen in a statement. “Fire can create uncertainty, especially for those with homes or property in the evacuation zones. Our hearts are with you tonight.”
The area is home to a mix of permanent and seasonal housing. David Lewis, who has a camper in the fire restricted zone, told Denver7's Veronica Acosta he's hoping for the best.
"We brought it up in June and were going to come get it next week. We got the alert that there was a fire here this morning so we dropped everything we were doing at home and came up here to get it," he said. "There's a lot of property that has campers on it for the summer but a lot of it is houses that people live in year round."
Lewis, who experienced a voluntary evacuation during the Cameron Peak Fire in 2020, said this was the first time in around 10 years he's been under a mandatory evacuation.
"We're standing by and waiting to see if we can get in. Where our camper is located they aren't letting anyone in over there at all," he added.
During Lewis' interview with Denver7, a siren sounded alerting people to evacuate. "It's a system that Crystal Lake has put in place for years," he said.
Late Monday, Governor Jared Polis issued a declaration to provide additional resources including the activation of the National Guard should it become necessary.
"Governor Polis issued a verbal declaration of disaster emergency to provide support and resources in response to the Pearl Fire in Larimer County. This declaration authorizes the Colorado Department of Public Safety, the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and the Division of Fire Prevention and Control to assist in the response and recovery efforts," wrote Polis' office in a statement. "This declaration also authorizes the activation of the National Guard to assist with response and recovery efforts if deemed necessary by the Department of Public Safety."
Critical fire weather conditions were not in effect, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Boulder but gusty winds — up to 30 mph — were possible. Scattered rain and thunderstorms are possible but rain was expected to be light, the NWS said, and humidity levels were expected to be around 20% or slightly higher this afternoon.
The Crystal Lakes subdivision is located about 50 miles northwest of Fort Collins and has more than 800 homes within the mountain community.
An October 2022 wildfire protection plan for the Crystal Lakes community cited a potential "extreme" fire risk that "could put the lives of residents, visitors and firefighters at risk" urging "proactive measures to mitigate" the risk.
While Monday's weather conditions were not under a fire-related alert, the report stated "moderate" fire weather conditions in the summer meant 27% of the community could "experience high to extreme fire behavior."
If extreme fire conditions were in effect, "67% of roads in CLFPD would be non-survivable," according to the report.
Scroll below to read the full Crystal Lakes Community Wildfire Protection Plan from 2022.
This is a developing story, refresh this page for updates.
Wildfires are now a year-round threat in Colorado. Denver7 is committed to covering their impact and the people working to find solutions to the threat.
