06/28/18:
Wild land fire south of Fairplay, west of US Hwy 285. south of County Rd. 22, near Buffalo Peaks Rd. at US Forest Rd 158 and 431
Current there 8 type 6 crews in the area attempting reach the fire. Air support will start dropping water. There is no known cause of the fire at this time. Size of the fire is unconfirmed at 15 acres. There are no evacuation orders at this time. Evacuations are voluntary, but residents or campers in the area are encouraged to leave if concerned.
6/28/18 – 4:21pm
Dear CORA Folks,
Those of you that are on the property please start preparing to EVACUATE. The winds are coming up. Tom spoke with some of the fire fighters and the fire is very hard to contain. So we need to be prepared. Gather your medication, important papers, etc. and be ready. I will keep you posted and news comes in.
Jane Tingle, Caretaker, Campground of the Rockies Association (CORA)
06/28/18 – 5:14pm
John Adams from RORA just called. The reservoir is closed tonight and tomorrow. They are taking water out of the reservoir by helicopter. Please stay away from the reservoir so they can do their job. Thank you for your cooperation!
Jane Tingle, Caretaker, Campground of the Rockies Association (CORA)
06/28/18 – 7:03pm
Dear CORA Folks,
Great News! Tom just spoke with the helicopter crew at the reservoir. The fire burned about 50 acres. The winds have calmed down. The ground crew is getting a handle on the fire. Things are looking up! We will keep you updated. Thank you for your cooperation!
Jane Tingle, Caretaker, Campground of the Rockies Association (CORA)
06/29/18 – 3:11pm
Cora Folks, The fire has started back up again. The helicopter is back and flying. The ground crew has pulled out – it’s out of their control and it’s in the trees. Those of you that are on the property – it’s time to be ready again. Get your medications together, your pets, important papers, etc., ready to go. This is NOT OFFICIAL! This is CORA alerting you to be ready! Please tell your neighbors as not everyone is on CORA folks. Stand by for more updates.
Jane Tingle, Caretaker, Campground of the Rockies Association (CORA)
06/30/18 – 10:30am
Mandatory evacuation have been issued to residents in the immediate vicinity of the Weston Pass Fire. Evacuations for Black Mountain subdivisions are voluntary at this time but residents should be prepared for a full evacuation.
County Road 22 is closed to all traffic. Surrounding areas are encouraged to remove livestock and pets out of the area and to prepare to evacuate. US Forest Service, North-West Fire, Hartsel Fire and Jefferson-Como Fire are on scene.
Lin Smith, DSP55
6/30/18 – 11:22am
Dear CORA Folks, Not much to update today. Winds are out of the southwest today so that is good news. Last night on the news they said the fire was 10% contained. It has burned 1,500 acres of land. We are not out of danger yet. If the winds pick up and change directions there could be issues. Please stay alert and stay prepared to leave. Verizon service has been down due to the fire near Waslenburg CO – fiber optic cable was cut. It appears to be working today. Thank you everyone for your informative emails. We need all the information we can get. Please stay prepared.
Jane Tingle, Caretaker, Campground of the Rockies Association (CORA)
6/30/18 – 2:00pm
Please do not come up to CORA at this point. If you are at CORA please consider leaving if yo have a safe place to stay. We want to keep everyone safe – “stuff” can be replaced – our CORA Folks can’t! Also, Highway 285 will be SHUT DOWN at 3pm from Fairplay to Antero Junction due to smoke. So if you plan on leaving NOW is the time to do it! Again, please be prepared. Get your important papers together, medications, pets, food, etc. Thank you for your cooperation! Again, please share this information with your neighbors and keep your lights on!
John Ludivig, CORA Board Member / Facilities Director
6/30/18 – 3:25pm
Park County just called in a Reverse 911 call saying they are asking everyone at CORA to leave. This is a voluntary evacuation. Hwy. 285 is closed from Fairplay to Antero Junction due to smoke. When you leave CORA- take a right (head south) away from the fire! Thank you for your cooperation!
Jane Tingle, Caretaker, Campground of the Rockies Association (CORA)
6/30/18 – 7:19pm
Due to the voluntary evacuation most of our CORA folks have evacuated. Thank you so much for your cooperation! For those of you still here, please email me your lot # and name. I will compose a list so if we have a mandatory evacuation we will know who is here. Needless to say I have received numerous phone calls regarding the fire. Let me answer some of those questions.
- Two hours ago the Forest Service said that the fire is 3 miles from CORA
- As of 2pm the fire has consumed approximately 1,882 acres
- There will be a Facebook page (Weston Pass Fire) set up tomorrow and will post hourly on the fire. I will continue to answer the phone as best I can
- Tom and I will be doing our rounds of CORA around 7pm this evening
I will post again when I have new news. Again. those of you still here at CORA please let us know you are staying the night in case of a mandatory evacuation. Thank you.
Jane Tingle, Caretaker
7/1/18 – 7:17am
The Rocky Mountain Type 1 Incident Team arrived late yesterday afternoon and assumed command of the Weston Pass Fire at 6am today, July 1. We will be updating this page as we gather information about the fire. Thank you for your patience as we get things set up!
7/1/18 – 10:25am
The phone to the CORA office is not working and cell phone service is sketchy. Also, please share information from CORA Folks with your neighbors and friends that are not on CORA Folks. Again, thank you for your cooperation.
Jane Tingle, Caretaker, Campground of the Rockies (CORA)
7/1/18 – 12:11pm
Tom just got back from driving north on Hwy 285 (which is still closed). He spoke with the US Forest Service who were positioned by Buffalo Springs Campground which is about 1-1/2 to 2 miles from CORA off of Hwy. 285 (north of Charlie’s [Raphael’s brother] Place). The Forest Service did a block burn last night burning from Hwy. 285 and the fire went westward. They did this to keep the fire from crossing Hwy. 285 and to slow down the fire and keep it west. This morning the winds are favorable and light. However, this afternoon the winds are predicted to change out of the north to northwest. In other words, heading towards CORA. The smoke has cleared out of CORA at this time. From the office I can see smoke north of the clubhouse. Again, Tom and I are asking everyone to stay away from CORA and we do appreciate your cooperation. Stay tuned for updates and please share this information with your neighbors.
Jane Tingle, Caretaker, Campground of the Rockies (CORA)
7/1/18 – 4:49pm
Structure damage confirmed – 1 residence at 695 Lynch Creek Court and 1 outbuilding at 854 Rich Creek Court.
7/1/18 – 6:38pm
Fire activity picked up significantly on the #WestonPassFire this afternoon and spotted to the south of the fire line. Firefighters were unable to get a line around the spot fire, resulting in the fire making an aggressive push to the south. The Park County Sheriff’s Office has initiated mandatory evacuation order for the Campground of the Rockies Association (CORA).
7/1/18 – 12:42pm
The Weston Pass Fire is now at 4,138 acres and 0% containment. It has not jumped Hwy. 285. Fire crews did a successful backfire Saturday night west of Hwy. 285 south of the Weston Pass Road (CR 22) to meet the oncoming fire. Hwy. 285 and Weston Pass will remain closed today due to heavy fire traffic. The Sheriff’s Office is evaluating damages and will be releasing that information. Full press release out shortly.