Firefighters battled wind gusts of up to 60 mph Thursday night as they worked to maintain containment of a wildfire that .
High winds were expected to continue until midnight and a dust storm warning was in effected.
Earlier, officials had said the 130-acre fire had been 75 percent contained, officials.
Aaron Eveatt, chief of the La Junta Fire Department, to The Denver Post.
“Hand crews continue to work interior hot spots,” Eveatt said.
Officials said Thursday afternoon they have stopped the blaze from growing any larger, but that erratic winds made further progress difficult.
Fowler Fire Chief Pat Christensen said the fire had expanded to 130 acres Wednesday night and was “still growing” in an area where Pueblo, Otero and Crowley counties meet.
Three structures that had been in danger from the flames were no longer in danger, he said. U.S. 50, between Fowler and Highway 209, was closed due to the fire.
Christensen said 70 firefighters from nine local agencies were battling the blaze, which he said was likely started by a lingering ember from a controlled agricultural burn conducted on Tuesday.
Christensen said the controlled burn occurred a day before a red flag warning had been issued for a large portion of southeast Colorado Wednesday morning.
He said it was one of a number of controlled burns that had been conducted Tuesday.
A red flag warning is in effect for Las Animas, Huerfano, Pueblo, Otero and Crowley counties from noon Thursday through 8 p.m., according to the National Weather Service in Pueblo.
Low humidity and gusty winds are forecast for those areas.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JesseAPaul
