Some Alexander Mountain Fire evacuees pack up, others prepare to fight

LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — As the Alexander Mountain Fire outside Loveland exploded in size Tuesday, so did the number of evacuees.

With smoke from the 5,000+ acre fire looming behind them, J.B. Hersh and his son Jason are in the mandatory evacuation zone but have no plans to evacuate their home of 73 years.

“We have a lot of work and a lot invested here,” said Hersh. “If it goes down, we go down.”

Inside the expanded evacuation area, many evacuees left their sprinklers running in the shadow of the smoke.

Meanwhile, law enforcement went door-to-door checking homes and leaving behind pink evacuation notice tape.

“That’s how you pack in a hurry — only the necessities,” said Linda Arndt, who was packing up her home with the help of her two young grandsons. “I’m anxious, you know, with the boys here. I’m kind of scared.”

Nine-year-old Kaden Bonn, her older grandson, was taking the evacuation in stride.

“It’s a little bit stressful because I’ve never had to move so much stuff at one time or evacuate in general,” he said. “But I’m ready.”

It’s not the first time they’ve watched flames come too close to the home they hope will be standing when they return.

For the Hersh family, irrigation systems are the last line of defense to hold out until the last minute.

“We’re just hanging in, making the best of it. We’re not going to leave until it’s lapping at the door,” said Hersh.

As Alexander Mountain Fire grows, residents forced to make difficult choices