Firefighters in southern Colorado made some headway today on blazes burning on thousands of remote acres in Teller, Las Animas, Otero and Bent counties.
A 50-acre fire, meanwhile, erupted today west of Cripple Creek, threatening several structures and prompting evacuations of residents and their animals in the Navajo Mountain Mesa subdivision.
A heavy airtanker was diverted from other blazes to fight that blaze, called the Navajo Fire.
Teller County Sheriff’s Department said the fire is burning near Teller County Road 11 and Park County Road 102.
In southeast Colorado, the Callie Mare fire on the Army’s Piñon County Maneuver Site in Las Animas County grew to estimated 8,000 acres today. The blaze includes 5,000 acres in the Comanche National Grassland.
While the blaze has closed motor access and trails in the area, cultural and historic resources, such as the historic Rourke Ranch, founded in 1871, have been protected.
The fire, however, has burned to the edge of the dinosaur tracks in Picketwire Canyon, said U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Barb Timmock.
On the eastern side of the military reserve site, the Bear Springs fire has burned more than 26,000 acres.
No homes have been lost and no significant injuries have been reported.
Both of the fires are thought to have started from a thunderstorm that delivered dozens of lightning strikes Monday night, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Meanwhile, the Shell and Brice fires, that together have burned nearly 14,000 acres in the three counties, are still burning uncontained at 11 a.m. today, according to a press release. A spokesperson could not be reached for updated information on those fires.
A critical “Red Flag” fire danger warnings have been in effect across much of southeast Colorado each day this week, as dry fuels, low humidity and wind gusts up to 40 mph today hampered firefighting efforts, officials said.
The National Weather Service said this afternoon that the red flag warning will be in effect tomorrow, as well.
