A fast-moving wildfire burning Monday along the Royal Gorge and U.S. 50 west of Cañon City forced the evacuation of homes, businesses, campgrounds and parks, including Royal Gorge and Buckskin Joe, and destroyed several structures.
“Anybody, whether they’re businesses, whether they’re residences, camping or anything else, everybody has been evacuated from the area,” said Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Cass Cairns.
By Monday evening, winds with gusts of 20 mph to 30 mph had pushed the fire northeast from the intersection of U.S. 50 and Colorado 9 over 700 acres. Smoke and poor visibility closed U.S. 50 6 miles west of Cañon City.
The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office called 177 businesses and residents asking them to evacuate. Cairns said it was unclear how many structures had burned or whether any were homes.
Smoke from the fire burning in an area known as Parkdale could be seen and smelled in Colorado Springs on Monday night.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for the region, advising that strong winds and relatively low humidity might cause the fire to spread.
About 50 firefighters were battling the fire on the ground, supported by a fleet of aircraft dropping flame retardant, Cairns said. These included one large air tanker, a single-engine plane, a large helicopter and a smaller helicopter.
Mike Bandera, general manager of the Royal Gorge Bridge, said the historic bridge was not threatened but that homes along Fremont County Road 61 were evacuated.
Bandera said he first saw the flames about 1:30 p.m. Monday, jumping as high as 20 feet into the air.
Overnight, firefighters will continue to monitor the blaze and create fire breaks to minimize the spread. They will fight the fire depending on the direction it is headed, how active it is and on firefighter safety, Cairns said.
Meanwhile, the fire sparked by lightning in the Great Sand Dunes National Park a few weeks ago has engulfed 4,700 acres. Strong winds stoked the blaze.
On the Western Slope, a 170-acre blaze was burning on the Roan Plateau, 10 miles northwest of Rifle.
“It’s a fairly remote, rugged area and not threatening any structures,” said Dave Boyd, spokesman for the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit.
Colorado has about 300 wildfires a year, Boyd said, most of which stay small. A normal fire season is predicted for Colorado this year, Boyd said.
