El Paso County officials lifted evacuation orders for a wildfire burning south of Colorado Springs on Thursday as crews gained 60% containment on the fire.
The Hammer fire has burned approximately 4,900 acres since it was first reported at 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, Sgt. Kurt Smith with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said at a briefing Thursday.
Fire crews ordered mandatory evacuations for the area near Hanover on Wednesday night, but lifted those evacuations at around 2 p.m. Thursday as on the wildfire, county officials said on Facebook.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, Smith said. While the area east of Fountain is sparsely populated, crews were initially concerned that high winds, warm temperatures and low humidity would allow the wildfire to spread closer to neighborhoods, he said.
officials canceled classes at Hanover Junior/Senior High School on Thursday because the building was being used as an evacuation center, school officials said.
The district also canceled classes and school activities on Friday to allow crews to clean up after the fire. Classes will resume Tuesday.
Updated 4:29 p.m. April 23, 2026: This article was updated to correct the day mandatory evacuation orders were issued. They were issued Wednesday night.
