100+ acre wildfire in Larimer County now 25 percent contained; evacuations still in effect

LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. (KKTV) - Firefighters have made significant progress on a wildfire burning in northern Colorado, and some evacuation orders were lifted.

The Larimer County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday night that the Pearl Fire was now 25 percent contained - 20 percent more than Wednesday.

The wildfire was reported late Monday morning by numerous residents who were seeing smoke about 5 miles northwest of Red Feather Lakes in the northern part of the county. Evacuations were ordered less than two and a half hours later for people in the Crystal Lakes area up to the state line.

The current evacuation area as of Thursday evening:

On Tuesday, aviation resources worked on the fire until high winds became unsafe for crews. They expected those high winds to stay strong overnight and through Wednesday.

The U.S. Forest Service said there was no new growth, with the fire staying consistent at 128 acres as of Thursday night.

Officials said 270 people were on the scene on Thursday to fight the fire, and crews were able to increase containment on the southern side allowing them to further establish lines on the northern and western edge.

The sheriff's office said it determined the fire was human-caused and began on private property. Deputies contacted the person involved and are continuing an investigation.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis issued a verbal declaration of disaster emergency and said he authorized the activation of the National Guard among other resources to assist if the Department of Public Safety believes it is necessary.

The sheriff's office said an overnight evacuation shelter was open at Cache La Poudre Middle School at 3515 CR 54G, Laporte.

A large animal evacuation center was open at The Ranch at 5280 Arena Circle, Loveland, but the sheriff's office said they chose to close this location on Wednesday due to a lack of need. Assistance with large animals is still available to those who may need it.

Call the JIC at 970-980-2500 for info about evacuations and community resources.