“Evacuate the area immediately and as quickly as possible. Do not delay leaving to gather belongings or make efforts to protect your home or business,” reads an emergency alert sent out by the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office at about 1:10 PM on Tuesday afternoon.

UPDATE: This fire has since been reported at 115 acres with 11 percent containment. Find our most recent piece about the Kruger Rock fire here and find official updates regarding evacuations here.

The alert announced that mandatory evacuations in the area of Estes Park and the Kruger Rock Fire were being expanded to Pole Hill Road to the Panorama Peak area on the east side of Highway 36, in addition to a number of places already under mandatory evacuation.

As of 1:20 PM, the Kruger Rock Fire has continued its growth, reaching 100 acres in size with zero containment. The fire is reportedly burning in steep and rugged terrain, similar to the Cameron Peak Fire of 2020. Coupled with strong winds, this creates a very dangerous scenario for firefighters that are on foot in the area.

The exact number of homes under evacuation has not been released, but the public information officer for the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office did note that more than 1,000 contacts have been alerted to the evacuations that are underway.

See evacuation notices as of 1:30 PM, as posted to the Larimer County website, below:

Strong winds persist in the area of the Estes Park, anticipated to be around 30 miles per hour at 2 PM and 27 miles per hour at 5 PM. Winds are expected to taper off to single digit speeds after 8 PM. Wednesday will likely be less windy.

Windy and dry conditions have resulted in increased fire risk in Colorado, with a red flag warning activated in much of the state on Tuesday.

Find official updates on the Kruger Rock Fire here.

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