Junkins fire evacuees from two areas near the town of Beulah will return to their homes Thursday morning for the first time since the fire forced them to flee on Monday.
Residents who live on North Creek Road between Central and the Red Mountain Youth Camp, and the Simonson Trail Subdivision will begin going home after they secure a re-entry permit, according to the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office. The permits will be available starting at 10 a.m. at the Colorado Building on the Colorado State Fairgrounds.
The evacuation center at the Agriculture Palace on the Colorado State Fairgrounds has been closed. The Evacuation Center at the First Baptist Church, 305 E. Third Street in Florence remains open for all who have been evacuated.
Pre-evacuation orders have been lifted for all of the Beulah Valley, including the Town of Beulah and the Red Creek Ranch areas of Savage Road and Vaughn.
Authorities anticipate cooler, calmer weather Thursday will again help them work to contain the Junkins fire, which has burned close to 17,000 acres in Pueblo and Custer counties, and is only 3 percent contained.
The fire located about 11 miles east of Westcliffe, was sparked early Monday morning by a downed power line hitting a barbed wire fence. The blaze spread quickly in high winds that had gusts up to 70 mph.
The fire roared to more than 13,000 acres in its first day, but has calmed down in lighter winds.
Another day of light winds is expected Thursday, with 10 to 15 mph breezes sweeping the ridge top, according to Kim Osborne, of the U.S. Forest Service, who is a Junkins fire spokeswoman.
The wildfire, burning mostly on national forest lands, has destroyed at least five homes and 13 outbuildings and burned more than 16,800 acres. More than 400 people have been evacuated and the fire threatened about 280 homes.