Colorado Officials Use Drinking Water to Help Fight Alexander Wildfire

A popular Colorado reservoir is closed to the public until further notice as firefighting officials use the water to assist in their efforts to fight the Alexander Mountain Fire near Loveland.

The fire is estimated to be about 1,820 acres and is 0 percent contained.

On Monday afternoon, Horsetooth Reservoir just west of Fort Collins was closed to the public and officials cleared the lake so they could use the water in their efforts. The reservoir attracts thousands of visitors each year and is also used for drinking water, irrigation and other purposes in the area. It is more than 6 miles long and has a capacity of 156,000 acre-feet. The reservoir was just below 90 percent full as of Monday, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

It’s unclear if firefighting operations will impact drinking water operations, although Fort Collins receives at least 80 percent of its drinking water from annual snowmelt between April and July, according to the Halligan Water Supply Project. Newsweek reached out to the Halligan Water Supply Project and to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office by email for comment.

“ATTN Recreators – Horsetooth Reservoir is now being utilized in support of wildfire operations and response. Please AVOID the area until further notice,” the Larimer County Department of Natural Resources posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday afternoon.

“Horsetooth Reservoir is CLOSED to boating and all forms of water recreation to assist the wildfire response and helicopter water fills. This recreation closure is now in place until further notice,” the Larimer County Department of Natural Resources said in a follow-up post.

“Rangers are working to clear the water of #HorsetoothReservoir so it can be used to support the wildfire response. Please stay off the water and avoid the reservoir,” the Poudre Fire Authority in Fort Collins posted.

The fire grew quickly overnight, and activity picked up on Tuesday morning. Parts of Highway 34, a popular route to and from Rocky Mountain National Park, have closed because of the flames.

“Due to the proximity to critical infrastructure & communities, this fire has been prioritized and has great support from state & local cooperators,” the most recent update from the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office said. “Fire has not crossed Hwy 34.”

Flames were being fought by Larimer County Emergency Services, the Loveland Fire Rescue Authority and several partner agencies. The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office was handling evacuations. Mandatory evacuations were first issued from Drake to Dam Store along Highway 34, including Storm Mountain and Palisade Mountain on Monday afternoon and have expanded to include hundreds of people.

Evacuations are still changing, with the most recent order issued for the Masonville area and Glade Road from Highway 34 to Indian Creek on Tuesday afternoon just before 2 p.m. ET.