COLORADO SPRINGS — Crews are mopping up a nearly 300-acre (121-hectare) wildfire that forced 280 people from their homes east of Colorado Springs.
the blaze started Monday afternoon and spread quickly before firefighters slowed its growth by cutting fire lines through the grassy and brushy terrain. The fire was 100 percent contained Monday night, and no homes were reported burned.
Update 8:12 p.m – Firefighters successfully defending structures. No structures lost. 2 County Graders cutting fire breaks in mostly grassy and brushy terrain. 1 county fuel truck dispatched. No containment yet but fire advance slowed. Estimate is 280 acres involved.
— El Paso County, Colorado (@epcpio)
Working Grass Fire East of HWY 24 North of Constitution. crews on scene as mutual aid companies. Call 911 to report only new fire starts as call center exp overwhelming volume. lead information agency
— CSFD PIO (@CSFDPIO)
Fire at Highway 24 and Constitution. Mandatory evacuations in place from Garrett Road, to Highway 24, to Meridian Road, to E. Blaney Road.
— EPCSheriff (@EPCSheriff)
: Grass fire south of Falcon near Highway 24. EB Highway 24 is CLOSED near Constitution
— Catherine Silver (@CatSilverTV)
El Paso County spokesman Dave Rose tells the fire came “really close” to some homes, and firefighters were forced to defend multiple structures.
The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region helped take at least eight llamas to the county fairgrounds in Calhan.