Wildfire doubles in Colorado's Rocky Mountains as evacuations continue
The U.S. Forest Service says a wildfire near a Colorado city has grown to over 1,800 acres as more homes were placed under mandatory evacuation orders
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A wildfire near a Colorado city grew to over 1,800 acres Tuesday morning as more homes were placed under mandatory evacuation orders and a looming column of smoke could be seen for miles around, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
The Alexander Mountain Fire doubled between Monday and Tuesday and sits about a dozen miles (19 kilometers) west of Loveland, Colorado, where the Rocky Mountains fold into the Great Plains.
Over 200 responders are working on the fire, with helicopters and planes supporting from the sky and more reinforcements expected, said Mike Smith, the incident commander in a Tuesday video briefing backdropped by a plume of smoke from the fire.
Loveland has a population of some 77,000, and sits about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Denver, though evacuations haven't been made in the city proper.
Meanwhile crews responded Tuesday to another fire south of Alexander Mountain, according to the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.