Fern Lake Fire now 88 percent contained

As of Monday morning, Dec. 10, the Fern Lake Fire in Rocky Mountain National Park was 88 percent contained, according to fire managers, and will be downgraded from a Type 1 to a Type 3 incident Monday evening. The number of personnel on scene has been scaled back to 189

Extremely cold temperatures overnight kept most firefighters from fire lines Sunday evening. Additional accumulations of snow ranging from 1 to 2 inches are expected, along with moderately high winds and extremely cold temperatures. The fire, which began on Oct. 9, covers 3,498 acres, all within the park boundaries.

All pre-evacuation and evacuation orders have been lifted in Estes Park and all residents have been allowed to return to their homes.

Rocky Mountain National Park is open on a limited basis. Visitors may enter the park through the Fall River Entrance on Highway 34 and the Beaver Meadows Entrance on Highway 36. The road is open to Many Parks Curve, the normal winter closure point on Trail Ridge Road. Bear Lake Road will remain closed until further notice because of fire operations.

Beaver Meadows Visitor Center is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Fall River Visitor Center is open weekends from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For additional information, visit www.nps.gov/romo or call the park Information Office at 970-586-1206 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. daily.

The Town of Estes Park and its businesses are open for visitors and holiday shopping.

A community meeting will be held this evening at 5 p.m. at the Estes Park Town Hall, 170 MacGregor Ave. Park officials and fire managers will provide information on current fire conditions and what residents and visitors can expect to see in the fire area in the coming months. This meeting can be viewed live on local cable channel 12 and will be live streamed via the Town of Estes Park’s website, www.estes.org/boardsandmeetings.

A new fire information phone number — 970-235-1162 — will be open starting Tuesday, Dec. 11, at 8 a.m. It will be answered from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Information on the Fern Lake Fire is also available at www.inciweb.org and www.larimer.org, and on Twitter @inciweb, @larimersheriff, @RMNPofficial and #FernLakeFire.