Firefighters prepare for a long day fighting the Seaman Fire in Larimer County

Forest lands West of Seaman Reservoir have been closed, including Greyrock and Hewlett Gulch trails. The order came from the US Forest Service this morning citing public safety concerns during Seaman Fire operations. Red Flag warnings have been issued for the day.

Overnight, the forest service did not report much growth. The morning update showed the fire remaining at 150 acres and 25% containment, the US Forest service, however, did report in a tweet growth to 168 acres.

In a morning update from the Rist Canyon Fire Department, the community was asked to be ready for evacuations – just in case.

It is hard waking up to the smell of smoke from a nearby fire, record hot temperatures and the promise of a red flag day ahead. It is stressful on all of us, but particularly those of us that were around in 2012 for the High Park fire. We know all too well how ugly wildfire can get.

First, I want to say take a deep breath and take care of yourself. All of us process stress differently. It can be helpful to do things that are productive. The bonus is that if things go south you will be better prepared. I would suggest the following:

Review your evacuation list. There is a link on RCVFD.org that will give you a good start.

Review the defensible space around your house. Clean up combustibles that you have stacked out behind the garage (I am guilty). Again there is info on our website about defensible space.

Make a home inventory – video or still pics are great for this. Do not store that info in your house, but somewhere safe (your desk at work, send to a trusted friend, or store in the cloud).

Have a communication plan with your family and friends. Know where you are going to meet if you are asked to evacuate.

The weather is not going to be our friend for a while. It is predicted to be unseasonably hot & dry for many days. I measure rain at my house and we have not had more than a few sprinkles of rain since the last week of July. Be extremely careful with anything that could create a spark. If you are out cutting firewood, take water with you so you could douse a spark from your saw if you hit a rock.

There are many places to stay up to date on the Seaman fire. LETA 911 is a great resource for current info and you can register to receive reverse 911 calls in case we need to contact you. Another good resource for current details is the RCVFD Facebook page.

A final reminder to take care of yourself and your friends and family – and pray for snow……..

Thanks & Adios, CJD
Carol Dollard, Chief
Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department
[email protected]

In a tweet from the US Forest service, a morning picture was shared showing the spread of the fire toward the Poudre River.

#SeamanFire this morning from Gateway Park. Greyrock and Hewlett trails closed due to fire. Last mapped at 168 acres. Red Flag Warning today. @LarimerOEM @poudrefire pic.twitter.com/KqAlnugXwp

— Forest Service, ARP (@usfsarp) September 13, 2018

For latest information about the fire, incident command is updating details at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6201/