LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — Firefighters held onto the perimeter of the Alexander Mountain Fire overnight into Monday, ensuring the fire did not grow as they continue the work to increase containment.
The fire, which started Monday, has burned 9,668 acres and is 54% contained. It is located near Drake along Highway 34, west of Loveland. It is the largest wildfire currently burning in Colorado.
Southwest Area Incident Management Team 1, which currently has command of the firefighting efforts, said that while the fire will likely creep and smolder Monday, “no perimeter growth is expected.”
Most evacuation orders were cleared or downgradedto voluntary status on Sunday. As of then, about 1,100 contacts remained under a mandatory evacuation. At noon Monday, mandatory evacuations were downgraded to pre-evacuations for residents along Highway 34 from west of the Dam Store to just west of Idlewild Lane. In addition, pre-evacuation notices have been lifted for Sylvan Dale Ranch, Eden Valley Sunrise Ranch, and the Bobcat …