The Alexander Mountain Fire in Northern Colorado grew significantly on Tuesday was listed at 6,840 acres Wednesday evening. The wildfire in Larimer County has now been given national priority among the agencies working to battle the fire. New mandatory evacuations were ordered for the Masonville area and Glade Road from Highway 34 to Indian Creek.
The chair of the Larimer County Board of Commissioners declared a disaster emergency on Tuesday afternoon for the fire, which is currently within 10 miles of the western edge of the city of Loveland.
“By declaring a disaster, Larimer County can activate our local Emergency Operations Plan to respond proactively to this ongoing event,” said Lori Hodges, director of the Larimer County Office of Emergency Management. “It also allows us to access local disaster policies as well as state and federal resources as needed during this event.”
Read the rest of the story at CBS News.