{"id":1298796,"date":"2026-05-11T15:36:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T21:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.reporterherald.com\/?p=1298796"},"modified":"2026-05-11T21:58:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T03:58:45","slug":"fire-carter-lake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reporterherald.com\/2026\/05\/11\/fire-carter-lake\/","title":{"rendered":"Evacuations lifted for wildfire near Carter Lake west of Loveland"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mandatory evacuations were lifted about four hours after they were ordered for a 12-acre wildfire near Carter Lake reported just before 3 p.m. Monday, according to officials.<\/p>\n

No injuries were reported and no structures were damaged as of 5:30 p.m., Berthoud Fire Protection District spokesperson Andrew Kuiken said at the scene.<\/p>\n

The fire, which was 100% contained as of 6:48 p.m., was near the 2600 block of Sedona Hills Drive in Loveland, according to information aired on Pulse Point, an app that allows users to receive live alerts from various departments. Emergency evacuations were ordered for the Sedona Hills neighborhood, northeast of Carter Lake, just before 3:30 p.m., according to NOCO Alert<\/a>, and were lifted<\/a> at 6:56 p.m.<\/p>\n

The Red Cross opened an evacuation center at Grace Place Church, 375 Meadow Lark Drive in Berthoud; it closed after evacuations lifted.<\/p>\n

\"A
A truck and horse trailer followed by a fire vehicle head south on County Road 29 past County Road 18E where a Larimer County Sheriff's Office Deputy blocks the road to help control traffic as people try to evacuate due to a wildfire burning near Carter Lake Monday, May 11, 2026, west of Loveland. (Jenny Sparks\/Loveland Reporter-Herald)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The fire, previously estimated at around 30 acres, was mapped at 12 acres as of 5:38 p.m., Kuiken said.<\/p>\n

Kuiken said firefighters were dealing with dry conditions and strong winds at the scene, saying that despite the snow just a few days ago, grass, bushes and brush have dried out enough to allow a fire to spread quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look at how dry, that is, it’s still splintering, it’s still very dry, and that’s what’s burning up there right now,\u201d Kuiken said while holding pieces of grass near the media staging area by County Roads 29 and 20. \u201cIt’s still very, very dry and the fire danger’s still very high out here.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he didn’t know what caused the fire to ignite in the Sedona Hills neighborhood.<\/p>\n

He added that multiple crews assisted, including Loveland Fire Rescue Authority, Berthoud Fire Protection District, multiple Larimer County crews, Poudre Fire,\u00a0 Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, and Thompson Valley EMS.<\/p>\n