Maxfield Silverson

The Goat Fire grew by more than 3,000 acres on Friday, expanding about a mile and a half to the northeast during a powerful windstorm that swept through the area.Stage 1 “Ready” evacuation notices were issued Friday for Warm Lake residents with the blaze traveling quickly through grassy terrain in an area that burned in 2007.“Ready” is the first of three evacuation levels, where people near the fire should be aware of the threat and make evacuation plans.As of Tuesday, the Goat Fire, about 10 miles east of Cascade, had burned over 32,000 acres and was 25% contained.Intense pockets of heat within the fire perimeter remained, but the fire’s rapid growth did not continue past Friday’s windstorm.Officials warned that the fire has the potential to flare up again because of unseasonably hot and dry conditions.Several days of rain in September halted much of the fire growth on the West Mountain Complex, including the Goat Fire, but the rain was not enough to fully extinguish any of the large fires.The Snag Fire, to the north of the Goat Fire, stayed relatively calm during Friday’s wind storm.“The Snag Fire saw no significant activity in the past couple days, but crews continue to patrol and monitor the area,” Officials said on Tuesday.The fire was listed as 33,437 acres in size and 90% contained as of Tuesday.Firefighters shifted their focus to the Goat Fire with 217 people assigned.