by North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com
Fire evacuation briefly issued in West Fort Collins as major highways close across Northern Colorado
UPDATE (1:30 p.m.):
Poudre Fire Authority reports the Sterry Fire is now under control, and crews are conducting mop-up operations. The earlier evacuation order has been lifted, and nearby highways have reopened. Authorities say smoke from the fire briefly limited visibility along U.S. Highway 287 north of Fort Collins. Officials are asking residents not to call 911 or the fire headquarters for updates while crews remain on scene.
Poudre Fire Authority and the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office responded to the second-alarm wildfire in the 400 block of North U.S. Highway 287, where smoke was visible across the area during the initial response.
Powerful winds sweeping across Northern Colorado on Thursday led to highway closures across the region and briefly forced mandatory evacuations in a West Fort Collins neighborhood as emergency crews responded to a fire.
The incident, referred to by officials as the Sterry Fire, prompted a rapid response from Poudre Fire Authority and Larimer County emergency crews before being brought under control Thursday afternoon.
Shortly before noon on March 12, emergency officials issued a mandatory evacuation alert for an area bounded by Terry Lake Road south to Vine Drive and from U.S. Highway 287 west to North Overland Trail. Residents were instructed to leave immediately while fire crews responded to the incident.
Officials directed residents to monitor updates through the regional emergency alert system and check evacuation maps at https://www.nocoalert.org.
Less than an hour later, at approximately 12:50 p.m., authorities issued an “all clear” after incident commanders determined the situation was under control. Residents were told they could safely return home and resume normal activity in the area.
At the same time, extremely strong winds across the Front Range created dangerous travel conditions, forcing multiple highway closures across Northern Colorado.
According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, Interstate 25 was closed in both directions from Colorado Highway 14 in Fort Collins to the Wyoming state line. U.S. Highway 85 was also closed between Nunn and the Wyoming border.
Additional closures included northbound U.S. Highway 287 at its junction with Colorado Highway 1 near milepost 348.5 and northbound Colorado Highway 1 from the U.S. 287 junction to Douglas Road.
Farther south along the Front Range foothills, Colorado Highway 93 was closed in both directions between Colorado Highway 72 and Colorado Highway 128. Colorado Highway 128 was also closed westbound from McCaslin Boulevard to Colorado Highway 93.
Officials warned that the strong winds could create hazardous conditions for drivers, especially high-profile vehicles, and urged travelers to check road conditions before heading out. The latest highway updates are available through the Colorado Department of Transportation at https://www.cotrip.org.
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Attribution: Larimer Emergency Telephone Authority and Colorado Department of Transportation alerts.