By: Eugene Buchanan | The Denver Gazette
Kris and Jenn Shea of Steamboat Springs were lucky. When the evacuation orders came for their home near the new “Green Ridge Fire” — which erupted near Stagecoach Reservoir, about 15 miles south of Steamboat, on Sunday at 1:45 p.m. and quickly spread to 94.3 acres by that evening — they were both out of town. Jenn was in Buena Vista, and Kris was fishing in Florida. But their friends were there to rally support and grab their belongings.
Fortunately, it didn’t come to that as the order was soon rescinded. But for Kris, it was touch-and-go with the fire spotting just a mile or two away.
“It was pretty surreal,” said Kris, who owns Cruiser’s Sub Shop. “I was in the middle of the Gulf and felt a little handcuffed. My wife called me, and I called my brother and it all happened so fast. I didn’t know that they had rescinded it until Monday morning. I was a little anxious overnight.”
The county reported that the fire had not grown overnight and containment increased to 27%.
On Sunday afternoon, Routt County ordered evacuations for zones OC-522, OC-523, OC-528 and OC-536, and issued a pre-evacuation alert for zones OC-521, OC-527, OC-529, OC-531, OC-532 and OC-537, with officials opening an evacuation center at Soroco High School in Oak Creek. Residents in pre-evacuation zones were encouraged to pack their car, keep a full gas tank and turn their vehicle in the direction of leaving.
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