A malfunctioning car that pulled to the shoulder of Colorado 115 likely ignited the fast-moving wildfire now burning across more than 7,000 acres south of Colorado Springs, officials said Tuesday evening.
Fire inspectors believe a spark from the car ignited dry vegetation along the highway last Wednesday, sending the fire toward Fort Carson, said Peter Wolf, an assistant fire chief at Fort Carson, during a town hall in Penrose.
As of Tuesday evening, about 240 firefighters from 25 agencies fighting the 7,385-acre fire have reached 30% containment, Wolf said.
Four helicopters are assigned to the fire with additional aircraft on standby at the Colorado Springs Fire Department if needed, he added.
“The number one goal … has been to secure Colorado 115 — to prevent any fire from crossing 115,” Wolf said. “We had adverse wind conditions Thursday morning and we had to make some decisions very rapidly as fire wanted to advance west.”
As crews continue to work to strengthen the perimeter, the fire will continue to burn through vegetation near the interior of the area for several more days to weeks, he added.
Aside from the wind, firefighters battling the flames faced challenging terrain. At times, the fire was burning along cliffs on a narrow section along the highway. Spot fires then dropped to the canyon below, Wolf said.
The fire sparked near mile marker 24 on Colorado 115, which connects Colorado Springs to Penrose. Crews worked to keep the fire on the east side of the road to protect homes on the west side of the road. Evacuations were lifted Monday afternoon for residents who were ordered to leave, the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office said.
Colorado 115 is still closed as crews continue containing the fire, Lt. Col. Daniel Gonzalez, Fort Carson’s director of emergency services, said.
“This is a decision that’s going to be assessed daily,” Gonzalez said. “We want you to be safe to be able to travel up the highway and not have smoke blocking the road or the road impacted by the fire in some ways.”
When the highway does open, Gonzalez urged drivers to stay focused on the road despite the scorched landscape.
“What we don’t want is someone to drive off the road because they’re staring at the fire,” Gonzalez said.
No structures were lost in the fire and no injuries were reported, officials said.
The fire is burning in parts of Fremont, El Paso and Pueblo counties. Temperatures in the 80s and 90s are expected across southern Colorado on Wednesday and Thursday before temperatures drop Friday.
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