At least three wildfires forced evacuations across Colorado Sunday afternoon amid dry and windy conditions.
El Paso County fire
Residents in the area of Curtis Road and Patton Drive in Peyton in El Paso County were ordered to evacuate just after 5 p.m. Sunday for a wildfire.
The mandatory evacuation area covered homes and businesses inside the square formed by Curtis Road, Falcon Highway, Slocum Road and Colorado 94, according to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
The evacuation orders were lifted after 8 p.m., the sheriff’s office said on Twitter. and considered 100% contained.
The mandatory evacuation area has been updated – the new area is West to Curtis Rd, East to Slocum Rd, North to Falcon Hwy, South to Hwy 94. The remaining area East to Peyton Hwy w/ the same North & South boundaries is under a pre-evac. Call 9-1-1 only if in immediate danger.
— EPCSheriff (@EPCSheriff)
Teller County fire
Additionally, Teller County residents with addresses between 600 and 720 on County Road 89 were ordered to evacuate at 5:07 p.m. for a separate fire burning near County Road 89, according to the Teller County Sheriff’s Office.
The approximately 3-acre fire was contained and residents were allowed to return to their homes, Teller County Sheriff’s Office tweeted at 7:01 p.m.
Unattended fire near the City of Cripple Creek. Law enforcement and fire responded to unattended camp fire. 20 people (not homes) were evacuated. Fire now contained, crews beginning mop up. Roads open,
residents allowed to return to their homes. Fire burned aprox. 3 acres.— Lieutenant Bunting, PIO (@TCSOPIO)
The Front Range was under a red flag warning Sunday due to high wind and low humidity that meant fire could spread quickly, according to the National Weather Service at Boulder. The warning expires at 7 p.m.
Pueblo fire
Earlier Sunday afternoon, an 18-acre wildfire in Pueblo along the Arkansas River east of the intersection of W. 11th Street and Pueblo Boulevard forced the evacuation of an animal shelter, Pueblo Fire Department Capt. Woody Percival said.
The fire was 75% contained and all evacuations were lifted, the There was also no injuries or damage to any structures reported.
Residents in about 15 houses near the fire were asked to be ready to evacuate but were not forced to leave Sunday afternoon, Percival said. The Paws for Life animal shelter at 800 N. Pueblo Blvd. was evacuated and the animals relocated to a safe place.
Wildland fire in progress near PAWS east of Pueblo Blvd. Please DO NOT come and add to problems to be a lookey-loo. Some houses were threatened initially. Poor conditions expected to worsen.
— Pueblo Fire Department (@PFDPIO)
That fire was burning between the rural housing development and a water treatment plant on the river, moving through 3-foot-tall grass and tall old-growth trees, with winds of about 15 to 20 mph and low humidity, Percival said.
“All of the things that add up to a bad situation with a fire,” he said.
Paws Fire – Please avoid the area. Additional information and updates will come from Pueblo City Fire.
— Pueblo Police Department (@PuebloPolice1)
About 45 firefighters from a variety of agencies were attacking the blaze, and it was “somewhat contained” by about 3:30 p.m., Percival said, though he added firefighters were “struggling to keep it in its boundaries right at the moment.”
The Colorado Red Cross opened an evacuation center for the Pueblo fire at Goodnight Elementary School, at 624 Windy Way in Pueblo. It has since been closed.
