Jan Wesner Childs
It could be several more days before residents in parts of Northern Colorado where a raging wildfire tore through this week can return home to assess the damage.
The Grand County Sheriff's Office planned to reopen Highway 40 Friday afternoon, considered a "major step toward recovery," according to the announcement posted on social media.
But the post also noted that residents would still not be allowed to return home.
In an update earlier in the day, Sheriff Brett Schroetlin asked evacuees to be patient. He said assessment teams haven't been able to reach the area for safety reasons.
“We're not withholding information. We're not trying to delay information getting out there. We don't know," Schroetlin said. “I've been through many of these areas up in there and things change every pass that I go.”
Cars jammed roadways and evacuees filled at least one local hotel Thursday night as the blaze edged closer to the mountain resort town of Estes Park.
Mandatory evacuation orders were in place for the community's downtown area, and voluntary evacuations were recommended for several other areas as the East Troublesome Fire once again grew in size. Several communities in nearby Grand County also remained under mandatory evacuations.
Evacuations for the nearby Cameron Peak Fire were also still in effect, although some of those had been downgraded.
The Red Cross was assisting about 7,300 evacuees from both incidents Thursday night, according to KCNC-TV. The main evacuation shelter, a hotel in Loveland, was full.
The East Troublesome Fire, which exploded in size overnight Wednesday, grew at a slower rate Thursday but still expanded by about 80 square miles as it moved across Rocky Mountain National Park and jumped the Continental Divide. In all, the blaze has burned more than 265 square miles, making it the second-largest fire in state history behind only the Cameron Peak Fire.
"We continued to see a lot of active fire growth yesterday," incident Commander Noel Livingston said in a Friday morning update. "A significant and obviously very traumatic event has occurred over the last couple of days."
(MORE: Ballots Rescued From Colorado's East Troublesome Fire)
At least five people were missing, according to the Denver Post. Family members of one couple posted on social media and told local news outlets that they feared their grandparents had died while hunkering down in a bunker underneath their home.
"No official confirmation until fire crews are able to dig into the bunker, but we’re pretty sure they passed away early last night," family members said in a statement to KDVR-TV Thursday night. "The cement bunker may have kept them safe from the house collapsing and the flames, but not the 1,300-degree heat. We’re deeply saddened by the loss of our grandparents, but comforted by the thought that at least they died together, just as they had wanted."
A representative of the Grand County Emergency Operations Center told weather.com Friday morning that the sheriff's office was working to verify what happened to the couple. Schroetlin said in the Friday briefing that he had no information on the couple, and referred reporters back to family members. Schroetlin said there were no active searches for missing people in his county.
Town of Grand Lake Fire Chief Kevin Ratzmann also said there were no confirmed deaths from the fire.
"It has been an emotional and a horrific few days for our community," Ratzmann said in a Facebook post. "Our team has fought tirelessly to protect each and every structure and life. As you know many homes were lost. We are continually searching for survivors and anyone who may have been trapped. So far we are unaware of any confirmed fatalities."
One relative who posted a photo of the grandparents on Twitter said in a message to weather.com that the family was waiting for "more solid information" before commenting further.
The area where the couple lives was evacuated Wednesday night. Schroetlin said in a briefing Thursday that several structures in the area had burned.
As the fire expanded Thursday, the Larimer County Sheriff's Office alerted people in parts of Estes Park to evacuate immediately.
Residents packed up their belongings and cars backed up for miles under a sky turned dark red.
The fires were being fueled by dry, windy conditions and timber decimated by beetles. Livingston said cooler temperatures and higher humidity helped firefighters on Thursday. But west to southwest winds are expected to increase Friday afternoon and it will remain windy through Saturday evening, according to weather.com senior meteorologist Jon Erdman.
Gusts could reach 50 mph in valleys and 60 mph at higher elevations.
The National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings for the area.
Some relief will come when a cold front moves in Saturday night, bringing up to a foot of snow to some areas.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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