A wind-fueled fire burned out of control west of Aguilar on Sunday, threatening the tiny town just off Interstate 25 in southern Colorado.
The fire had burned 5,000 acres by late Sunday, destroyed an undetermined number of homes and forced evacuations in the Mauricio Canyon and Trujillo Creek areas about 8 miles west of Aguilar, officials said.
Dubbed the Mauricio Canyon fire, the blaze started Saturday night when high winds whipped up a controlled burn thought to be out, said Pam Martinez of the Huerfano County Sheriff’s Department.
It roared east from the base of East Spanish Peak, on the border of Huerfano and Las Animas counties, then south-southeast into Las Animas County, pushed by high winds, Martinez said. She said two homes had been confirmed to have burned.
Ralph Bellah, fire information officer at the scene, said the winds Saturday night and Sunday were measured at 25 to 30 mph.
Larry Helmrick of the Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center said he heard that 10 outbuildings also had burned down.
Bellah said the blaze was threatening 215 homes, including the town of Aguilar.
Pam Dorland, a retiree from Sterling who lost her home in the hills outside Aguilar, discovered the fire Saturday night when her screen door blew open in a wind gust her gauge measured at more than 74 mph.
“I went to shut it, and I could see the smoke. There was nothing we could do,” said Dorland, who left with only a file of important papers.
Shelters have been set up in Aguilar, a town of nearly 600 about 25 miles north of Trinidad, Martinez said.
She said a church and community center in Walsenburg would be opened if needed.
Sgt. John Martinez of the Las Animas County Sheriff’s Department said it was difficult to tell which homes were threatened.
“It depends on the winds,” he said.
The high winds had hampered firefighting efforts and prevented air drops Sunday, but a helicopter and additional firefighters were on order for this morning, and two single-engine air tankers were available if needed.
Pam Martinez said 60 firefighters from several federal, state and local agencies were battling the fire Sunday.
“Thank God, the winds have died down,” she said.
John Martinez said a predicted letup of the winds Sunday evening would give firefighters a breather.
He said there had been no reported injuries.
“This just points out that we are very dry in Colorado even though it’s winter,” said Barb Timock, a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman. “No matter where we are in Colorado, but especially along the Front Range, we ought to be thinking about being extremely careful with fires outdoors.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Staff writer Jim Kirksey can be reached at 303-820-1448 or jkirksey@denverpost.com.
