The Reservoir Road fire, which has now burned more than 900 acres in Larimer County, started when two residents were burning a slash pile and it got out of control, fire officials said Monday.
The home where the fire began was not burned, said Loveland Fire and Rescue Division Chief Merlin Green. Investigators spoke with several witnesses in determining the cause.
The two residents, whose names and address were not released, did not have a permit for the fire and have been cooperating with investigators, “and are very sorry for what has happened,” said Maj. Justin Smith of the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.
The fire destroyed homes at 1497 Turkey Walk Lane and 1784 James Park Trail, as well as an outbuilding and an RV.
A mandatory evacuation order remained in place Monday for about 350 homes. It’s possible that some of those residents will be allowed to return home today, Green said.
Two hundred buildings are in the 925-acre immediate burn area, Green said, although not all are homes.
Four tankers and three helicopters are working the fire, along with about 190 people on the ground. Officials estimated Monday evening that the fire was about 20 percent contained.
Monday’s weather, though dry, was not windy and helped firefighters keep the blaze in check.
Resources that had been at the Fourmile Canyon fire in Boulder County were brought in to help.
“Without Boulder also having a fire,” said Bill Nelson of the Larimer Sheriff’s Office, “we would probably still be trying to find resources.”
The fire is 4 or 5 miles west of Loveland burning on mostly private land. The blaze is most active in the north and northwest corner.
Colorado officials declared a state of emergency because of the fire, freeing up $3 million to help cover firefighting costs and other emergency response costs.
At 6 p.m. Monday, a federal team took command of the fire and the 16 agencies involved in the firefighting efforts.
Fire officials spent part of Monday answering questions about whether the initial response to the fire Sunday morning was adequate.
The first 911 call, from a resident in the Pittington Ranch subdivision west of Flatiron Reservoir, came in at 10:04 a.m. Sunday.
“There’s a fire … in our yard,” the woman, trying to catch her breath, told the dispatcher.
She said it was about 50 feet from the home, burning in brush. She did not say how the fire began or whether it started in her yard.
The first Loveland fire truck arrived at the subdivision 14 miles west of the city at 10:40 a.m., U.S. Forest Service spokesman John Bustos said. Three Forest Service engines arrived a half-hour later. About the same time, officials launched the air attack against the blaze.
The pace of the response frustrated some residents. Dave Moser, whose house is north of where the fire broke out, called 911 and said the fire was 200 yards from his house and coming closer.
“It’s growing fast,” he said.
“We’ll get the fire department out there right away,” replied the dispatcher, who also told him a fire truck was already working the blaze nearby.
“Yeah, they should be here like now,” Moser said.
Jake Claycomb, who was driving home from a fishing trip and spotted the blaze while it was still small, said he saw a fire truck and a handful of residents trying to extinguish the fire. Claycomb said he tried to help but was turned away by a Larimer County park ranger.
“It was literally a small brush fire that shouldn’t have burned more than 4 acres,” Claycomb said. “There’s really no excuse for that fire.”
But, given the remoteness of the subdivision, Loveland Fire and Rescue’s Green said the response was quick.
“This was a very rapid-moving fire from the onset, and I think we were able to call in a lot of resources quickly to get after it,” he said.
Staff writers Joey Bunch and John Ingold contributed to this report.
