DenverChannel.com-
POSTED: 6:55 am MST April 2, 2004
UPDATED: 3:42 pm MST April 2, 2004
DENVER -- Rain is expected to help dampen the Picnic Rock Fire, which grew to more than 8,000 acres Friday afternoon, inching closer to homes and forcing two mountain communities to be put on evacuation alert.
One home and one garage have been destroyed, and 23 homes and 70 outbuildings are threatened.
Residents of Livermore and Hewlett Gulch have been put on evacuation alert and the Bonner Peak and Cherokee Hills subdivisions have already been evacuated. Automated emergency calls were placed to the 64 homes in the Hewlett Gulch area just after 11 a.m., telling them to pack up and be on standby.
The Picnic Rock Fire is about 15 percent contained, but has grown rapidly, driven by wind and extremely dry conditions. It defied expectations Thursday night by jumping from treetop to treetop. Officials say fires usually lie down at night as winds calm, but that hasn't happened with this fire. The fire was just 3,500 acres Thursday night when air tankers and helicopters were grounded for the evening.
Gov. Bill Owens on Friday authorized up to $2.2 million in state disaster emergency funds to help cover the costs of fighting the Picnic Rock Fire, declaring the wildfire a state disaster emergency. The State Forest Service made the request for the emergency declaration.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency also pledged federal aid to fight the fire and federal firefighters were at the fire coordinating the defense. More than 200 people are on the fire lines, trying to contain the blaze. More crews and equipment are expected to arrive Friday afternoon.
One big factor that could help later in the day is the weather. A cold front that is moving in will bring in higher humidity levels, more cloud cover and lower temperatures, 7NEWS Meteorologist Jessica Jamison said. There is also a chance that the area could be doused with snow Saturday.
But the fire may get worse before it gets better. The cold front is also bringing with it very strong, erratic winds that are fanning the flames and hindering firefighting efforts. The good news is that currently, winds are pushing the fire west on to national forest system land, where no homes are threatened. However, there is a lot of timber in that area and the potential is high for it to race through, gobbling up acres without restraint.
"Fuel conditions out here are more like what we'd see in August, than March or early April. So that's why we're seeing really strange fire behavior for this early in the season. An inch of rain would go a long way towards putting this fire to bed," said Steven Paul with the Type II incident team.
Larimer County officials are hoping for a 30 percent containment by day's end and firefighters aren't relying on Mother Nature completely. They are aggressively focusing on protecting the homes in Obenchain Draw and Bonner Peak subdivisions, and the community of Livermore.
Many Bonner Peak Ranch evacuees camped out all morning at the entrance to their subdivision, hoping for updates from fire crews. One resident heard them mention his address on the radio and quickly asked a firefighter about the condition of his home. And then there was a long pause.
"He asked me to spell my name, and I'm thinking, 'Oh, Geez, that's not a good sign.' And so I spelled my name. And then another minute goes by or so -- endless amounts of time. And then he finally says the house is OK," said evacuee John Tschirhart. "We sighed a really big sigh. Our anxiety drained out. So now I'm just anxious to get up there and see what it looks like."
If it rains, evacuees will be allowed back in their homes by Saturday, said Larimer County sheriff's spokeswoman Eloise Campanella.
Overnight, the fire lurched north and west, jumping to the west side of the north fork of the Poudre River and making a run west of the Bonner Peak subdivision.
One good sign that firefighters are getting a better handle on the situation is Colorado Highway 14 west of Highway 287 was reopened Friday morning, although drivers in the area were cautioned to watch for rolling rocks or other falling debris. The fire is burning west of Highway 287, north of Highway 14 amidst dry grass, brush and trees.
The man who allegedly started the blaze by setting fire to trash in his yard Tuesday afternoon will eventually be charged, although the exact charges aren't known, authorities said.
The cost of fighting the fire has climbed to $650,000.
A Red Cross evacuation center was set up at Presbyterian Church in LaPorte.
Four Type II hand crews, eight engines, one water tender, two heavy 3,000-gallon tankers, two Type III helicopters, one Type I helicopter, and two single-engine air tankers are working the fire. Five Type II handcrews and one hot shot crew will also be arriving later today.
Owens on Friday also signed legislation which encourages additional financial support for the state's Wildfire Emergency Response Fund and authorized the State Forest Service to tap the fund to pay for the first hour of a firefighting helicopter at a wildfire.
"The initial attack on a wildfire is critical," Owens said. "Each summer, I have authorized funding for several air tankers to be in position here in Colorado. Our strategy of prepositioning resources has proven to be very successful and this new law adds yet another tool, making sure that funds are available for initial helicopter attacks on wildfires."
The State Forest Service said that 95 percent of the fires in 2003 were controlled at under 10 acres.
Copyright 2004 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.