Highway 34 fully reopens in Northern Colorado as more Alexander Mountain Fire evacuations are lifted

Officials in Larimer County have fully reopened Highway 34. The closure was in effect for more than a week in Northern Colorado due to the destructive Alexander Mountain Fire.  

The wildfire is now 83% contained, and more favorable firefighting weather conditions in the days ahead should help crews as they work to fully contain the 9,668 acre fire. After high temperatures in the mid-90s on Wednesday when there will be a potential for some more small fire growth, Thursday's projected high temperature for Loveland -- whose city limits are located about 10 miles to the east of the fire -- is only in the mid-60s and there's a 70% chance for rain. Friday will also have below-normal temperatures and another high chance for precipitation.

In the first days of the battle against the Alexander Mountain Fire there was concern that the flames might jump over Highway 34 in the Big Thompson Canyon and start burning on land to the south. There was also worry that above-ground fiber optic cable running adjacent to the highway might be destroyed. Those concerns are no longer in play, and the only issue remaining through the canyon and on to Drake and Estes Park now is restoring power in some places.

A total of 405 personnel were still working on the fire on Wednesday morning. That includes firefighters who are still trying to find and put out any hotspots near homes as well as "reinforcing control lines, mopping up, and returning disturbed areas to a more natural state," according to a news release from the U.S. Forest Service. The wildfire destroyed 25 homes and damaged four others and also destroyed 20 other buildings.

More evacuation orders have been lifted around the burn area, including all the properties along Highway 34 from the Dam Store to Drake, or downgraded from mandatory to voluntary orders (Cedar Park and Storm Mountain communities).

With the potential for heavy rain, there's a potential in the burn area that some scorched hillsides might see flooding.