Custer County officials lifted mandatory wildfire evacuations on Thursday evening after firefighters gained 95% containment on the Buttermilk fire burning north of Westcliffe in southern Colorado.
The 65-acre fire sparked Wednesday afternoon after an aspen tree fell onto a Sangre de Cristo Electric Association power line, the said.
After the tree fell onto the line, the system automatically tried to reconnect the power, causing the fire, sheriff’s officials said.
The sheriff’s office ordered mandatory evacuations for 98 homes in a 2-mile radius of the fire on Wednesday afternoon, including Custer County Road 170, County Road 179, Chalice Drive and Chalice Road. All evacuations and road closures were lifted as of 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
No one was injured and no structures were destroyed by the fire, the sheriff’s office said on Facebook. Sixteen cows were also evacuated and hosted at the Wet Mountain Valley Saddle Club.
Fire crews will remain on the fire overnight and continue working toward full containment on Friday, the sheriff’s office said.
