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VIDEO: Galena Fire Burns Overnight Near Fort Collins

Nick Thomas
/
YouTube.com

Friday's Galena Fire continued to burn overnight into Saturday next to Horsetooth Reservoir. As of the media briefing Friday, the fire was estimated around 700 acres, reports later put the fire near 1000 acres.

Editor's Note: Fire authorities made on update at a 3:30 p.m. media brief Saturday. The Galena Fire is 45 percent contained with about 110 fire fighters working the blaze. Evacuees will be allowed to return after 8 p.m. Saturday. More details can be found at this post.

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Wind fueled growth of the Galena Fire all day Friday. You Tube user Nick Thomas posted this video, and you can hear that winds didn't let up once the sun went down.

http://youtu.be/WoYVywHXJ7o

The Denver Post reported Friday night that the fire could have grown to 1000 acres, an official estimate on the fire's size won't come until the first media briefing Saturday, scheduled at 9 a.m.

Dry conditions are still a concern as our colleague Luke Runyon pointed out, the Galena Fire broke out in an area of the state with the lowest snowpack total, just 69 percent of normal.Rain is in the forecast for Fort Collins, but only a 30% chance of precipitation. The Denver Post spoke with the National Weather Service on hopes for weather assisting in the fire fighting efforts.

"I don't think it's going to be a soaker that is going to put it completely out," said Kyle Fredin, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Boulder. "I don't think it will be a significant rain storm."

In addition to the above video, other dramatic videos from residents around Horsetooth Reservoir Friday (some of which you can see here and here - beware, language warning) showed the speed at which the fire grew, fueled by both dry conditions and the wind.

Another dramatic image of the fire was captured overnight by photographers with the Coloradoan:

Friday's updates from the Galena Fire have been collected in this storify post.

I’m not a Colorado native (did you know that "I'm from Missouri" means "I'm skeptical of the matter and not easily convinced?") but I have lived here for most of my life and couldn't imagine leaving. After graduating from Colorado State University, I did what everyone wants to do; I moved to the mountains and skied, hiked, and hid from responsibility! Our listeners in the mountains may know me from my time in Steamboat Springs and Vail or as the voice of the Battle Mountain Huskies Hockey team in Vail.
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