Special Update
May 25, 4:25 The wildfire on our property has been completely extinguished and there is no damage to our structures or vehicles. HMI staff and students have been cleared to return to campus and will be doing so later this afternoon. We consider ourselves extremely lucky that this fire was mitigated so skillfully by first responders, and that the weather and conditions were not more favorable to rapid fire spreading. Investigations into the cause of the fire are not yet complete.
We cannot put into words our gratitude for the first responders who successfully contained this great threat to our school. We specifically want to thank Leadville/Lake County Fire Rescue, Lake County Sheriffs Office- Colorado, St. Vincent Hospital Ambulance Service, Lake County Public Works, Summit and Chaffee fire crews, and the U.S. Forest Service. We extend our most sincere thanks to all involved with the emergency response.
We also want to acknowledge and thank the many local organizations and individuals who have supported us in the past 24 hours. Thank you first and foremost to Colorado Mountain College Leadville for taking us in and housing our students in your dorms. Thank you as well to Colorado Outward Bound School for offering us sleeping bags, Solvista Health for making mental health counselors available to our students, and Desert Mountain Medicine for offering us your services. We are honored and humbled by outpouring of support from Leadville and beyond.
We have been inspired by the optimism and resilience of our students, faculty, staff, and community. We look forward to completing this current term on a high note.
May 24, 9:40PM Fire Update: The Lake County Office of Emergency Management is now reporting that the fire on our property grew to a size of 1.3 acres but is at least 90% contained. We have also learned that there was no damage to any structures at HMI. We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the emergency services whose fast response is to thank for these positive outcomes.
We have arranged for the students to spend the night in the dorms at nearby Colorado Mountain College; they are empty for the summer.
As we enter the late evening, our paramount goal is to support all of our students and our staff members. Our community is a strong one. We continue to believe that the last days of the semester hold great promise, and we look forward to them. We will continue to keep you updated on our next steps and our plans for the next few days. Thank you in advance for your patience as we navigate this situation.
May 24, 5:35 PM This is an informational post for the HMI and Lake County communities. At approximately 3pm this afternoon, we were made aware of a fire on the far western edge of the HMI campus. We thank the multiple local agencies that are currently responding to the situation. All HMI students and staff are uninjured and accounted for, have been evacuated to the town of Leadville, and are in good spirits. We will provide updates as they become available.
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