PHOTOS: Smoke From East Troublesome, Cameron Peak Fires Blankets Grand County and Estes Park


Where things stand right now, with the East Troublesome and Cameron Peak fires
- Weather: Snow is good for the fire — but bad for pipes in evacuated homes
- What we know right now: Sheriff confirms two deaths in Grand Lake
- Rocky Mountain National Park: How bad is the fire damage to RMNP?
- Photos: What our reporters are seeing, from Grand County to Estes Park
- Maps, resources, evacuation information and more
Early Thursday morning, the East Troublesome fire burning in Grand County exploded in size — jumping from 30,000 acres to more than 125,000.
The fire prompted immediate evacuations of hundreds of people in Grand Lake and the surrounding areas.
Crews fighting the fire expect another day of large fire growth.
Nearby — north of Grand Lake and west of Fort Collins — the Cameron Peak fire is still actively burning, at more than 206,000 acres.
Here's a look at what our reporters are seeing.
Granby, early Thursday morning
Around 2 a.m., CPR News Visuals Editor Hart Van Denburg arrived in Granby in Grand County, which is about 15 miles from Grand Lake.




Estes Park, early Thursday morning
Around 6 a.m., Denverite photojournalist Kevin J. Beaty and CPR News climate reporter Michael E. Sakas arrived in Estes Park. While stopping for coffee at Big Horn, Kevin ran into firefighters fueling up for the day.









Grand County, Thursday morning
At 9:15 a.m., Rocky Mountain National Park announced it was closed to visitors due to fire activity on the west side of the Continental Divide. "Currently, air quality is hazardous," the park tweeted.




Estes Park, late Thursday morning
Later in the morning, around 10:30 a.m., Kevin headed north of Estes Park, closer to the Cameron Peak fire.





Granby, pre-evacuation orders, late Thursday morning
Around 11:45 a.m. the town of Granby in Grand County went on pre-evacuation orders.







Estes Park, mandatory evacuation orders. Thursday afternoon
Around 1:00 p.m., the Larimer County Sheriff's Office ordered mandatory evacuations for the western part of Rocky Mountain National Park and much of Estes Park. Michael Sakas and Kevin J. Beaty are stuck in gridlock traffic, trying to get out.
Mandatory evacuation orders now in place for areas of Estes Park, including downtown. That means me, now in a major traffic jam with all the other folks trying to get out of town. pic.twitter.com/C7Gw0vLlBm
— Michael Elizabeth Sakas (@MichaelESakas) October 22, 2020




It is dark as night and the roads are GRID LOCKED. The roads down the mountain must be creeping. pic.twitter.com/DGtHqQZaBk
— Kevin Beaty (@KevinJBeaty) October 22, 2020

Granby, Thursday afternoon, smoke and wind
Thursday afternoon in Granby, the wind picked up. It didn't make anything easier for firefighters or evacuees (or photographers).
Chaotic morning. Wind is howling now. #EastTroublesomeFire has blown up again huge. Granby in pre-evac and traffic streaming south out of town. EOC has relocated toWinter Park. More pix soon but meantime here's a clip @CPRNews pic.twitter.com/3pPbGku1UI
— Hart W. Van Denburg (@hartoutwest) October 22, 2020




Update at 6:00 p.m.: The East Troublesome Fire is now more than 170,000 acres. Our reporters are safe, and we hope you are too. More photos tomorrow.
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