A vegetation fire reported Thursday in west Fort Collins triggered localized evacuations and a level 3 evacuation order for residents west of Overland Trail, south of Elizabeth St to Dixon Canyon Rd, as crews worked to stop the flames from moving farther south.
Watch Duty said units were on scene of an estimated 5-acre vegetation fire moving south near the “A,” and incident command later said the southern spread had been stopped. The blaze, later dubbed the Catalpa Fire, was reported at the 1400 Block of Catalpa Ct and was burning near the Colorado State University Foothills Campus.
A canal with water in it on the east side was helping divide the fire from the neighborhood, according to Watch Duty, but the cause was not immediately known and the Fort Collins Fire Department had not yet commented. A weather page for Denver said a Red Flag Warning for wind and low relative humidity was in effect from 11 AM to 8 PM MDT Friday, adding another layer of concern for the fire area near the Maxwell Natural area by Horsetooth Reservoir.
The immediate danger appeared to be easing by Thursday as the southward advance was stopped, but the evacuation order showed how quickly a fast-moving vegetation fire can threaten neighborhoods in windy, dry conditions. Crews still faced the task of holding the line around the Catalpa Fire and preventing any renewed spread.
