IT'S
IT'S SEVEN O'CLOCK. LET'S GET RIGHT TO THE BREAKING NEWS THIS MORNING.
WE HAVE MORE INFORMATION ON
THE EAST TROUBLESOME FIRE.
THERE ARE TWO NEW MANDATORY
EVACUATIONS FROM OVERNIGHT.
ONE IS FOR PEOPLE LIVING ON
HIGHWAY SEVEN FROM LILY LAKE TO
ALLENS PARK TO LARIMER COUNTY
LINE.
THAT'S EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL
DIVIDE SOUTH OF ESTES PARK.
THE LARIMER COUNTY SHERIFF'S
OFFICE ISSUED AN ALERT AROUND
130 THIS MORNING AND THEN WE
GOT WORD AROUND 540 THAT
THE EASTERN SIDE OF ESTES PARK
IS NOW UNDER EVACUATION,
MANDATORY EVACUATION.
THIS IS A LARGE AREA WITH
THE NORTHERN BORDER.
DEVIL'S GULCH ROAD, WESTERN
BORDER OF MCGREGOR AVENUE AND
SOUTHERN BORDER APPEARS IN
MOUNTAIN AS WELL AS THE EASTERN
BORDERS OF HIGHWAYS 34 AND 36
PEOPEL IN THESE AREAS ARE TOLD
TO EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY AND WE
ARE NOW LEARNING FROM THE ESTES
VALLEY FIRE THAT THE FIRE IS
LOCATED SOUTH OF THE SOUTH
LATERAL MORAINE THE BEARSE DEAD
LAKE.
THEY EXPECT THAT THE FIRST TO
BE THEY EXPECT THE FIRST TO
EXIT ROCKY MOUNTAIN PARK BY
SUNRISE WHICH IS ABOUT
20 MINUTES FROM NOW IN
THE CANYON.
THE FIRE IS NEARING THE MOUTH
OF MARINE PARK AND THAT'S JUST
WEST OF ESTES PARK.
MORE RESOURCES ARE ON THEIR WAY
TO BRING IN BECKY NOW.
AND BECKY, UNFORTUNATELY
THE WINDS THAT HAVE SUCH AN
ISSUE THROUGHOUT ALL OF THIS
HAS BEEN CONTINUING THROUGH
THE NIGHT AND INTO THE MORNING.
AND THEY WILL CONTINUE
THROUGHOUT THE DAY TODAY TOO
LIKELY IN THROUGH PARTS
OF TONIGHT AS WELL.
THOSE SAME WINDS AND THE WEST
WILL HELP TO WARM US UP HERE IN
DENVER.
SO WE'VE GOT A MUCH CALMER
START PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES START
TODAY AND TEMPERATURES IN
THE 60S.
BUT LOOK AT THE WINDS OUT TO
OUR WEST 27 MILE PER HOUR GUSTS
AROUND NEDERLAND.
FIFTY EIGHT MILE PER HOUR GUSTS
FOR BLACK HAWK IN BERTHOUD PASS
.
YOU MIGHT SEE 48 MILE PER HOUR
GUSTS AND THOSE MORE COLORED
AREAS JUST LIKELY WEST OF ESTES
PARK OR AT LEAST WHERE THOSE
WERE.
THOSE WEATHER GAUGES ARE TO
TELL US WHAT THE WIND GUSTS ARE
ARE ARE STILL SHOWING STRONG
WINDS THAT EXTEND UP THROUGH
OUR NORTHERN FOOTHILLS AND
NORTHERN MOUNTAINS.
SO ALL OF THOSE AREAS ARE UNDER
RED FLAG WARNINGS.
THOSE ARE IN PLACE UNTIL SEVEN
O'CLOCK TONIGHT.
THEY DO COVER THE EAST
TROUBLESOME CAMERON PEAT FIRES
AND GUSTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE TO
60 MILES PER HOUR AT TIMES VERY
DANGEROUS DAY FOR FIREFIGHTERS
AND THAT FIGHT.
BUT IT DOES COME JUST BEFORE
SOME RELIEF ARRIVES.
SNOW IS SET TO ARRIVE TONIGHT.
AND WITH THAT WE'RE GOING TO
STEADILY SEE OUR WINDS DIE
DOWN.
BUT IT DOES TAKE A WHILE.
LIKELY UNTIL AFTER MIDNIGHT IS
WHEN WE'LL START TO SEE THOSE
WINDS DIE DOWN MORE
SIGNIFICANTLY NEAR THE CAMERON
PEAK AND EAST TROUBLESOME FIRES
AND THEN THROUGHOUT YOUR
SUNDAY.
THAT'S WILL FALL THOSE AREAS
AND THE FRONT RANGE ARE UNDER
WINTER STORM WATCHES WITH 10 TO
20 INCHES OF SNOW FALLING OVER
OUR NORTHERN FOOTHILLS AND
THREE TO SEVEN POSSIBLE HERE IN
DENVER.
I'LL TYPE IT ALL OUT FOR YOU.
COMING UP IN JUST A BIT, WE'RE
LEARNING ABOUT A COUPLE WHO
DIED IN THE EAST TROUBLESOME
FIRE.
LYLE AND MARILYN HILEMANS WERE
EIGHTY SIX AND EIGHTY FOUR
YEARS OLD AND AS THE FIRE GREW
MORE THAN 100000 ACRES EARLIER
THIS WEEK, BOTH THE SHERIFF AND
THEIR FAMILY SAID THEY CHOSE TO
STAY HOME AND NOT EVACUATE.
THE GRAND COUNTY SHERIFF GAVE
AN UPDATE LAST NIGHT AND READ A
STATEMENT FROM THE FAMILY
OFFERS TO LEAVE OR REFUSED.
EIGHTY SIX IN 84 YEARS OF AGE
THEY WOULD ONLY DESIRE WAS TO
BE TOGETHER IN THE HOME THEY
LOVED.
THE FAMILY SAID THEY LOVED
GRAND LAKE MARY AT A YOUNG AGE
HONEYMOONED IN THE AREA IN
1952.
THEIR HOUSE WAS JUST OUTSIDE
OF GRAND LAKE AND FRIENDS AND
SAFETY OFFICIALS WERE TRYING TO
HELP THEM EVACUATE.
BUT THE FAMILY SAID THE COUPLE
WERE CALM, RESOLUTE AND ADAMANT
THAT THEY WOULD NOT LEAVE.
THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE SAID THAT
THERE ARE NO REPORTS OF ANY
OTHER MISSING PEOPLE IN
THE FIRE LAST NIGHT.
NOW TO THE LATEST DETAILS ON
THE FIRE SIZE FROM FRIDAY
OVERALL FRIDAY WAS CALMER
COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS DAYS.
LAST CHECK IT'S MORE THAN ONE
HUNDRED EIGHTY EIGHT THOUSAND
ACRES OR ABOUT TWO HUNDRED
NINETY SQUARE MILES.
THE EAST TROUBLESOME FIRE STILL
GREW AND OTHER 18000 ACRES.
THAT'S A LOT OF GROWTH BUT IT'S
STILL FAIRLY SMALL COMPARED TO
WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WHEN
THE FIRE GREW ALMOST 150000
ACRES.
VIDEO FROM SOUTH METRO FIRE
RESCUE SHOWS THE DANGEROUS
CONDITIONS ARE FIREFIGHTERS ARE
FACING.
YOU'RE LOOKING AT A FIREFIGHTER
WORKING TO CLEAR SOME FUEL IN
GRAND LAKE TRYING TO PROTECT
BUILDINGS.
RIGHT NOW WE DON'T KNOW HOW
MANY HOMES OR BUILDINGS HAVE
BEEN BURNED AND IN A LOT
OF CASES JUST GETTING CLOSE
ENOUGH TO CHECK IS IMPOSSIBLE
IS JUST NOT SAFE ENOUGH.
NO.
MARK SOUDER SPOKE TO ANXIOUS
HOMEOWNERS IN GRAND COUNTY,
WAITED TO HEAR WHAT'S LOST.
THE FIRE HAS LEFT THE TOWN
OF GRANDBY COMPLETELY EVACUATED
HERE IN GRANDBY.
IT'S MOSTLY EMPTY WITH FIRE
TRUCKS DRIVING THROUGH EVERY
COUPLE OF MINUTES.
THOSE WHO EVACUATED TOOK WHAT
THEY COULD AND FLED.
GRAND COUNTY FEELS WE LIVE.
WE DID LIVE OFF HIGHWAY 125
WHEN IT'S COVERED IN A BLANKET
OF SMOKE AND EVERYONE IS FORCED
TO LEAVE, HOPEFULLY WE'LL ALL
BE ABLE TO REBUILD.
SO THE MATTSON FAMILY SAYS
NEIGHBORS TELL THEM THEIR HOUSE
IS DRAWN VICTIM TO A FIRE
THAT'S MADE HOME A SCARY PLACE
,PROBABLY 20 OR MORE
NEIGHBORS.
THERE'S A LIGHT TO HOUSES
STANDING.
IT'S TOO EARLY TO GO BACK AND
SEE WHAT'S BEEN SPARED.
THEY'RE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE
OUT HOW TO MOVE FORWARD WHILE
THEY WAIT HELPLESSLY HOURS AWAY
EVACUATED.
AND IF YOU CAN'T GO UP AND SEE
WHERE YOUR HOUSE USED TO BE,
IT'S KIND OF LIKE SOMETHING'S
LEFT UNFINISHED.
WHAT KEEPS COMING TO MIND FOR
ME IS WE KNOW FOR YEARS THAT WE
WERE WE WERE JUST BOMB WAITING
TO EXPLODE UP THERE.
JOE SKULLION ALSO BELIEVES HIS
HOUSE NEAR GRAND LAKE IS GONE.
ANOTHER VICTIM TO A FIRE THAT'S
GROWN SO FAST THAT BEETLE KILL
UP THERE.
SO SEVERE IN THE DOWN TIMBER
HAS BEEN DOWN FOR SO LONG THAT
IT'S SO DRY.
THAT THAT FIRE WAS LIKE A
FREIGHT TRAIN BETWEEN US AND
GRAND LAKE.
THERE'S JUST YOU DON'T KILL.
AND THAT'S WHY IT TORE THROUGH
THERE SO QUICKLY.
THE MATTSON'S HAVE LIVED IN
GRAND COUNTY FOR A LONG TIME
EVEN AFTER THE FIRE.
IT'LL STILL BE HOME TO THEM IF
OUR HOUSE HAD BEEN SPARED.
AND ALL OUR NEIGHBORS HAD LOST
THEIR HOUSES.
WE WENT TO ONE THAT LIKE YOU
WOULD HAVE LIKE SURVIVORS GUILT
OR SOMETHING.
AND THE MATTSON'S HOPED TO HELP
GRAND COUNTY BY COLLECTING FOOD
AND COATS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE
DISPLACED.
THEY'RE HOPING TO DO THAT
SOMETIME NEXT WEEK.
WE HAVE A FULL LIST OF WAYS TO
HELP PEOPLE IMPACTED BY
THE FIRES ON NINE NEWS.COM IN
GRANBY, I'M MARK SALLINGER
9NEWS AGAIN TO REITERATE A NEW
EVACUATION IS IN PLACE FOR
PEOPLE LIVING ON HIGHWAY SEVEN
FROM LILY LAKE TO ALLANS PARK
THAT'S JUST SOUTH OF ESTES
PARK.
ESTES PARK HAS BEEN UNDER
EVACUATION ORDERS FOR THE LAST
TWO DAYS.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT EVACUATION
FOR
PARK
PARK HAS
PARK HAS LEFT AN EERIE EMPTINESS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN.
ON THURSDAY THE VIEW LOOKED
APOCALYPTIC AS PEOPLE PACKED
THE ROADS TO GET OUT OF ESTOS.
PICTURES FROM INSIDE ROCKY
MOUNT NATIONAL PARK SHOW SOME
OF WHAT'S BURNED EAST
TROUBLESOME HAS BURNED AND
MEADOWS.
IT'S DESTROYED TREES AND
THE PARK REMAINS CLOSED BECAUSE
OF THE FIRE.
PARK RANGERS SAY SOME BUILDINGS
BURNED ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE
PARK BUT THEY'RE NOT SURE HOW
BAD THE DAMAGE IS.
THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR THIS
WEEKEND.
CDOT IS ASKING PEOPLE TO STAY
HOME AND NOT HEAD TO
THE MOUNTAINS THIS WEEKEND
BECAUSE OF HIGH FIRE DANGER AND
SNOW AND WITH MORE WIND THIS
MORNING AND TODAY FIREFIGHTERS
HAVE BEEN VOICING THEIR
CONCERNS ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY
THAT EAST TROUBLESOME FIRE
COULD MERGE WITH KAMERON PEAK
FIRE.
THE STATE'S LARGEST FIRE EVER
RECORDED.
COMBINED THEY HAVE BURNED SIX
HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN SQUARE
MILES IN THE CANBERRA PEAK.
FIRE DID GET SOME SNOW FRIDAY
AHEAD OF THE WEEKEND FORECAST.
IT'S GOING TO TAKE MORE THAN
ONE STORM THOUGH TO PUT THIS
FIRE ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHERS.
BUT IT DID HELP A LITTLE.
FIRE CREWS WERE ABLE TO GET
MORE CONTAINMENT ALONG THE EAST
AND SOUTH SIDE OF THE FIRE.
THOUSANDS OF FIREFIGHTERS HAVE
BEEN WORKING FOR MONTHS ON
THESE FIRES PUTTING IN
INCREDIBLY LONG DAYS.
SO WE ARE ASKING VIEWERS THIS
MORNING TO SHARE THEIR MESSAGES
FOR THOSE FIREFIGHTERS.
AND WE HAVE GOTTEN SO MANY
INCREDIBLE WORDS OF THANKS SO
FAR.
YOU CAN SEE THEM SCROLLING PAGE
THERE.
WE'RE GOING TO GET TO MORE
OF THOSE A LITTLE BIT LATER ON
IN THE NEWSCAST.
AND HELP IS COMING FROM ALL
OVER THE STATE FOR THE VICTIMS
OF THE FIRE.
THE GRAND FOUNDATION'S WILDFIRE
FUND WILL HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE
DISPLACED OR LOST THEIR HOMES.
PEOPLE HAVE PITCHED IN HALF A
MILLION DOLLARS TO HELP GRAND
COUNTY.
AND OUR NEXT WORD OF THANKS
CAMPAIGN HAS RAISED THREE
HUNDRED EIGHTY EIGHT THOUSAND
DOLLARS TO ASSIST EVACUEES
THROUGH THE RED CROSS
OF COLORADO.
YOU CAN STILL HELP.
YOU CAN JUST TEXT.
THANKS TO THREE OH THREE EIGHT
SEVEN ONE ONE FOUR NINE ONE.
WE ALSO HAVE A LIST OF WAYS TO
HELP ON THE NINE YEARS THAT YOU
GUYS HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTELY
INCREDIBLE SMOKE FROM THOSE
WILDFIRES CONTINUE TO CAUSE AIR
QUALITY ISSUES AND HEALTH
CONCERNS ACROSS THE FRONT RANGE
.
AIR QUALITY TODAY FORECAST TO
BE MODERATE VISIBILITY POOR BUT
I THINK THICK SMOKE IS STILL
POSSIBLE OUT TO FORT COLLINS
ESPECIALLY CLOSE TO WHERE THOSE
WILDFIRES ARE BURNING AND
ACROSS NORTHEASTERN COLORADO AS
WE GO THROUGH THE DAY TODAY
TOMORROW SOME OF THAT SMOKE MAY
GET PUSHED A BIT FURTHER SOUTH
EVEN WITH THE SNOW THAT'S
FALLING.
WE'RE GOING TO WATCH IT AND
THEN PUSH INTO SOUTHERN
COLORADO THROUGH THE DAY AND
TEMPERATURES WILL BE PLUMMETING
.
OUR TEMPERATURES IN THE TEENS
AND 20S FOR HIGHS SUNDAY AND
INTO MONDAY.
HERE IS YOUR SATURDAY MORNING
RUSH.
TODAY THE COMMERCE CITY POLICE
DEPARTMENT AND THE COMMUNITY
WILL BE SAYING GOODBYE TO ONE
OF THEIR OWN.
THIRTY SEVEN YEAR OLD DETECTIVE
KURT HOLLETT DIED MORE THAN A
WEEK AGO WHEN A TRUCK HIT HIS
CAR AT ANOTHER HALL AND LEAVES
BEHIND HIS WIFE AND TWO KIDS.
THE CRASH ALSO KILLED 31 YEAR
OLD FRANCESCA DOMINGUES.
COLORADO STATE PATROL IS
INVESTIGATING THE CRASH AND
WHETHER ALCOHOL OR SPEED WERE
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS ON
THE PART OF THE TRUCK DRIVER.
DENVER S HIGH SCHOOL IS
CHANGING MASCOTTE BECAUSE
OF ITS OLDER MASCOTS TIE TO
THE CONFEDERACY.
S HIGH WILL NOW BE THE RAVENS
INSTEAD OF THE REBELS.
THE SCHOOL SAYS THE MASCOT IS
NO LONGER APPROPRIATE OR
ACCEPTABLE.
THIS WEEKEND COULD BE A GOOD
TIME TO RESEARCH AND FILL OUT
YOUR BALLOT.
MORE THAN ONE FOUR MILLION
COLORADANS HAVE ALREADY TURNED
IN THEIR BALLOT.
WE HAVE A VOTER GUIDE ON
NINE NEWS.COM AND ON THE APP AS
WELL.
I CAN WALK YOU THROUGH ALL
OF THE BALLOT ISSUES.
SO IF YOU'RE PLANNING TO MAIL
IN YOUR BALLOT, DO SO BY MONDAY
AFTER THAT DROP IT OFF AT A
DROP BOX OR A POLLING CENTER IN
YOUR AREA.
YOU HAVE TO TURN IN THAT BALLOT
OR VOTE IN PERSON BY SEVEN