Town of Ordway (Crowley County) – Wildfire - 4/16/08
Report Date/Time: April 16th, 10:00am
Location: Ordway (Crowley County)
Event Start Date/Time: Apr 15th, 2pm
Agencies Involved: County/local fire departments along with law enforcement agencies, Colorado Department of Agriculture, Colorado Department of Corrections, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado Division of Emergency Management, Colorado Division of Fire Safety, Colorado Division of Local Government, Colorado State Patrol, Rocky Mountain Coordination Center, State Forest Service, Adventist Community Service, American Red Cross, and Salvation Army.
State Assistance Anticipated: Initial request for assistance from the Consumer Protective Division within the State Health Department in regard to area restaurants and the loss of electrical power. Other assistance to be determined based upon the damage assessment.
Deaths/Major Injuries: There are reports that two volunteer firefighters were killed on Tuesday and that incident is under investigation.
Damage: As of this morning, an estimated 8,900 acres had burned, to include approximately 50 structures of various uses (including eight homes in town and 16 homes outside of town). The fire has burned mostly short-grass prairie, plus some crop lands both east and west of Ordway. Electrical power is out to approximately 2,000 customers.
Current Status: A wildland fire was reported near the Town of Ordway. Winds blowing at 20mph, with gusts, pushed the fire into the Town and east towards Sugar City. Reverse 911 was used to order Ordway’s 1,100 residents to evacuate. Ad-hoc shelters had been set up in Sugar City, Crowley, Rocky Ford, and La Junta.
The fire is approximately 90% contained due to the efforts of firefighters from 35 separate agencies. Some power lines throughout the area were downed affecting 1,800-2,000 homes/businesses which may take up to four days to repair. Several roads and State highways have been closed except for responding agencies.
On the evening of April 15th, Governor Ritter verbally authorized a State disaster emergency declaration, which will result in making additional resources available to the County. Damage assessments are on-going.
Future Threats: Winds will continue throughout the day as a cold front moves into the area this afternoon and evening which may exacerbate the situation.