High Park Fire Consumes 80,000 Acres and Hundreds of Homes [PHOTOS]

Hundreds of homes and more than 80,000 acres of land have been destroyed in the High Park Fire near Fort Collins, CO. And while local radio station K99 reports the blaze is about 45 percent contained, the high temperatures and low humidity predicted on Monday are causing concern.

To date, the current cost of the fire’s damage is estimated to be almost $30 million, and there are currently at least 2,000 fire personnel working to extinguish the flames. Scores of roads have been closed and hundreds of nearby residents have been ordered to evacuate the area.

A Red Flag Warning was issued for the hours between 11:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m on Monday, when temperatures could’ve potentially reached 95 degrees with a relative humidity of 10 to 15 percent, and winds at 10 to 15 mph. In addition, significant smoke from the fire caused the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Regional Air Quality Council to issue a Wildfire Smoke Health Advisory until 4:00 p.m. for Larimer County and Weld County. Here in Laramie, although we have caught wind of some of the smoke, most people have no reason to be concerned.

Public information is available from the Larimer County Emergency Information line at 970-498-5500, at larimer.org, via the Twitter account @larimersheriff, or on the Inciweb website.

[K99]