Here are some tips when preparing to evacuate your home due to wildfire
The Colorado Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management has some tips on things you can do in preparation for evacuating your home during a wildfire.
High winds and the outbreak of a vegetation fire have led to closures and evacuations in Northern Colorado.
This story includes the latest available information, and is being regularly updated, with the newest information at the top.
The highways in Northern Colorado that were closed due to the intense wind have reopened.
Interstate 25 has reopened from the Prospect Road exit in Fort Collins to the Wyoming state line, the Colorado Department of Transportation reported around 6:45 p.m.
U.S. Highway 85 from Weld County Road 100 to the state line is also open again, CDOT reported moments later.
— Rebecca Powell
Colorado State University’s main campus in Fort Collins and the university’s other campuses in Larimer County will be closed March 13 because of damage caused by high winds, the university announced the evening of March 12.
The closure includes all in-person, hybrid and remote classes and operations, including meetings and work functions, according to a post on the CSU campus safety website.
Residence halls, dining facilities and the Transit Center on the main campus will remain open for students living on campus. Anyone who must be on campus is encouraged to use extreme caution outdoors and avoid areas with trees.
Some trees are down, spokesperson Nik Olsen told the Coloradoan. Additional damage assessments were scheduled to be completed March 13, Olsen said.
Colorado high school basketball playoff games scheduled for Moby Arena will be played as scheduled, and the Moby Arena parking lot will be available for fans and participants.
Most of the wind damage has been concentrated on the main campus near academic and administration buildings, the post said.
The primary concern leading to the closure is damaged trees and broken limbs that could continue to fall March 13 and have already blocked some pedestrian walkways on campus.
CSU employees with essential or emergency duties should coordinate with their supervisors or directors to determine their work status, the post noted.
— Kelly Lyell
These residents were evacuated during the Sterry Fire
Residents in North Fort Collins were told to evacuate during the Sterry Fire. Here’s what they had to say.
— Abigail Flores-Johnson
Residents recount Sterry Fire evacuation experiences
The Coloradoan interviewed a couple Fort Collins residents after they were evacuated from their home during the Sterry Fire on March 12.
— Abigail Flores-Johnson
All in-person classes and services at Front Range Community College in Fort Collins will be canceled as of 5 p.m., according to an email from the college.
Remote classes will continue as scheduled.
The Boulder County and Westminster campuses remain open.
— Rebecca Powell
Colorado Class 2A basketball playoff games that were scheduled for CSU’s Moby Arena on March 12 have been moved to Frederick and Longmont high schools because of the closure of CSU’s campus, the Colorado High School Activities Association announced.
CSU announced its campus would close at 3:30 p.m. because of high wind and dangerous conditions from falling branches. CHSAA urged participants and spectators to stay off the CSU campus.
Games scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Moby Arena will still be played there, as scheduled, CHSAA said.
Doors were scheduled to open at Longmont High School at 3:30 p.m. and Frederick High School at 4 p.m. Parking at both sites is free.
Some game times for March 12 were changed, as well, CHSAA said on its website.
The new schedule for the Class 2A quarterfinal games:
Longmont High School
- 4 p.m. – 2A boys: No. 2 Simla vs. No. 7 Vail Christian
- 5:30 p.m. – 2A girls: No. 1 Merino vs. No. 8 Akron
Frederick High School
- 5:30 p.m. – 2A boys: No. 5 Golden View Classical Academy vs. No. 13 Plateau Valley
- 7 p.m. – 2A girls: No. 3 Sanford vs. No. 6 Plateau Valley
- 8:30 p.m. – 2A boys: No. 1 Sanford vs. No. 9 Limon
— Kelly Lyell
After-school activities at Poudre School District schools in Laporte, Timnath and Wellington were canceled March 12 because of weather conditions, district officials said in an email to families and staff.
The cancellations were for athletics and other after-school activities at Cache la Poudre elementary and middle schools in Laporte, Bethke Elementary in Wellington and Wellington Middle-High School and Timnath Middle-High School.
All five schools were scheduled to dismiss at their usual times, according to the email shared with the Coloradoan by spokesperson John Cope.
— Kelly Lyell
Rocky Mountain National Park has enacted greater fire restrictions, citing extremely high winds, fire danger and the extended forecast.
The park is now under Stage 2 restrictions, which means no campfires, including charcoal briquette fires, are permitted anywhere in the park, according to a news release.
Petroleum-fueled stoves and grills that can be turned on and off may be used in Moraine Park Campground, in designated picnic areas and in designated wilderness campsites.
Smoking is prohibited in the park, except inside an enclosed vehicle or a vehicle stopped in a paved area where there is no vegetation at least 3 feet around.
Fireworks are always prohibited in the park.
The restrictions remain in effect until further notice, the news release said.
— Rebecca Powell
— Kelly Lyell
Poudre Fire Authority provides update on Sterry Fire
The Sterry Fire north of Fort Collins is estimated to have burned less than an acre March 12, 2026.
— Sady Swanson
The National Weather Service in Boulder records the top wind gusts in the area, and for Larimer and Weld counties, here are the top gusts so far:
- 89 mph, I-25 at Wyoming border
- 87 mph, near Nunn
- 82 mph, near Carr
- 78 mph, near Carr
- 74 mph, near Buckeye
- 73 mph, Christman Air Field, Laporte
- 73 mph, near Estes Park
Outside of the area, the top gusts recorded so far include:
- 94 mph, Warren Air Force Base, Cheyenne
- 92 mph, Sunshine (northwest of Boulder)
- 85 mph, near Marshall
— Rebecca Powell
Corrections & Clarifications: This section was updated to name the correct exit at which Interstate 25 is closed.
The Colorado Department of Transportation says the following roads in Larimer and Weld counties are closed due to high winds:
- Interstate 25 from Colorado Highway 14 (Prospect Road exit) to Wyoming state line
- Colorado Highway 85 from Weld County Road 108 (north of Nunn) to Wyoming state line
Get updates about road closures at maps.cotrip.org./
In Fort Collins, closures include streets on the CSU campus, including The Oval, Oval Drive and Libby Coy Way from University Avenue to Pitkin Street
— Rebecca Powell
Emergency radio communications indicate there are many reports of downed power lines in the Fort Collins area, and crews are being directed to check them out.
— Rebecca Powell
There are multiple power outages across Larimer County, according to outage maps of electric providers.
More than 10,000 Xcel Energy electric customers are without power, according to that company’s outage map.
Poudre Valley REA says there are sporadic outages, and it lists specific events on its outage page.
Fort Collins Utilities is not experiencing any unplanned outages, according to its map.
— Rebecca Powell
Colorado State University is canceling all classes, meetings and activities after 3:30 p.m. March 12, due to the impact of high winds, CSU police posted on X.com.
“Do not come to campus,” the post said. “Those on campus are advised to leave campus when possible. Remain indoors until you are able to leave.”
Also, Libby Coy Way is closed from University Avenue to Pitkin Street, CSU police posted, urging people to watch for any debris.
— Rebecca Powell
The Sterry Fire is under control and crews are mopping up, Poudre Fire Authority posted on X.com.
The evacuation order was lifted, and U.S. Highway 287 is reopen, the agency said.
PFA’s post asked residents not to call 911 to report activity at the Sterry Fire.
— Rebecca Powell
Fort Collins Police Services asks residents to keep lines open for emergencies, urging them not to call 911 to report downed trees, unless they are blocking a road, involve a downed power line or are creating a life-threatening emergency.
— Rebecca Powell
Emergency teams are now referring to the fire on March 12 in North Fort Collins as the Sterry Fire based on a Larimer Emergency Telephone Alert (LETA).
— David Dishman
Evacuation orders are now lifted, but Coloradoan staff witnessed emergency crews working to warn residents and set up operations in North Fort Collins during the Sterry Fire.
— Erin Udell
Mandatory evacuations in the area of Terry Lake Road to Vine Drive and U.S. Highway 287 to North Overland Trail were lifted at 12:50 p.m., according to a NOCOAlert.
— Sady Swanson
Tuning into the PulsePoint app that tracks emergency responders’ activity, it’s clear there is a flood of activity across the Fort Collins and Wellington area.
Poudre Fire Authority crews and paramedics are reacting to multiple reports of potential smoke and fire, vehicle rollovers, crashes and downed trees.
While crews are battling a vegetation fire on North U.S. Highway 287 near Terry Lake, first responders have attended to a collision at Mulberry and Matthews Street, reports of potential smoke and fire at multiple locations, and an overturned semitruck.
So far, no other fires have been confirmed.
— Rebecca Powell
Wind whips around the El Palomino Motel in North Fort Collins
High wind in the Fort Collins area whipped through the El Palomino Motel, 1220 N. College Ave., property March 12, 2026, in Fort Collins.
— Erin Udell
Poudre School District has closed its mountain schools, Eyestone Elementary and Rice Elementary, according to a 12:36 p.m. NOCOAlert.
Colorado State University has reported downed trees and damage to buildings due to high winds. The Oval and Oval Drive closed just before noon.
— Sady Swanson
All of Wellington is without power due to extreme winds, according to a 10:35 a.m. NOCOAlert.
— Sady Swanson
LETA alerts include warnings about imminent threat to life, including floods, wildfires, evacuations, weather warnings, natural gas leaks, police activity, missing children and elderly individuals, and more.
Visit LETA’s alert website at https://nocoalert.org/ to sign up. Log into your account or create an account. Then go to ”my subscriptions,” select “event alerts” and then select the categories you would like alerts for and fill out the information. The system can send you alerts via cellphone, landline and email.
For text messages only for an array of emergency events throughout Larimer County, text NOCOAlert to 888777.
— Miles Blumhardt and Sarah Kyle
— Sady Swanson
A video shared on Facebook shows some of the firefighting efforts March 12 by Poudre Fire Authority.
— Sady Swanson
A vegetation fire is burning in the 400 block of North Highway 287. Poudre Fire Authority units were dispatched at 11:30 a.m. March 12.
Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for Terry Lake Road south to Vine Drive and for U.S. Highway 287 west to North Overland Trail. People in the area have been advised to evacuate immediately, according to a NOCOAlert sent at 11:55 a.m.
— Sady Swanson
Winds blowing dust and gusting to nearly 90 mph on March 12 were creating difficult driving conditions north of Fort Collins, leading to the closure of Interstate 25.
The Interstate 25 closure was from the Prospect Road exit to the Wyoming border because of safety concerns, CDOT posted on X.com, the platform formerly known as Twitter, about 10:30 a.m. That came about 10 minutes after the National Weather Service’s Boulder forecast office posted a map of wind speeds recorded in the area that included a reading of 89 mph along I-25 just south of the Wyoming border and reports of blowing dust that was making driving conditions difficult.
Wind gusts as high as 57 mph had been recorded in Fort Collins, according to the map shared by the NWS, with gusts to the west near Horsetooth Reservoir as high as 63 mph.
— Kelly Lyell
