Northern Colorado farmers evacuated by Alexander Mountain Fire say their livelihood is in jeopardy
A team of local farmers west of Loveland say the Alexander Mountain Fire could potentially ruin their source of income if it continues to grow to the east.
Those with the Eden Valley farm say they are under mandatory evacuation, and that has rid of their ability to work on their produce or harvest.
The farm is located only about a mile or two away from the fire, says Isaac Livingood, a manager of the team's farmers market outreach.
The group had just finished harvesting their crop for the week when the fire began. They gathered personal items quickly and loaded their refrigerated truck with the produce they had and headed east.
"We are under mandatory evacuation; we have enough produce to get through Sunday," Livingood said.
The team sells their goods at eight farmers markets every week, and right now is their prime selling season.
"Everything is growing in Loveland, just west in the foothills," Livingood said. "We have had that land for 62 years now."
However, after selling through most of their goods during their evacuation, they were hoping to return to the land in order to harvest new produce for sale next week. However, with current evacuations, they likely will miss that window.
"(The fire) might be at the very tail of our property," Livingood said.
He said his wife and children are out of town, so he has been trying to find places to sleep each night with the help of others.
"Customers I've met only once or twice are offering me places to stay," Livingood said. "I don't worry about the unknown too much, I got the essentials I needed."
The Alexander Mountain Fire had burned more than 9,000 acres in five days since beginning. Fortunately, for Livingood, the fire's progression has moved north and west. However, that has also resulted in the tragic loss of homes for dozens of others.
As the largest fire burning in Colorado, Livingood said he was grateful for the firefighters and all they've done to fight the fire.
"I want to thanks the firefighters for being on the front lines," Livingood said. "We know you are working day and night and not everything is easy."
