Two wind-driven wildfires burning on Colorado’s Eastern Plains prompted evacuation orders Tuesday.
Strong winds are pushing one fire in Elbert County east toward Lincoln County, said Wendy Holmes, a spokesperson for Elbert County.
“The wind and smoke are so bad that they’re having difficulty assessing it,” Holmes said of the size of the fire.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office also issued evacuation orders Feb. 17, 2026, for a wildfire that sparked in Elbert County before winds pushed it east. (Photo provided by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office)The Elbert County fire sparked at about noon near Matheson, about 97 miles southeast of Denver, and evacuation orders were issued by the Simla fire department about 45 minutes later, Holmes said. The order included homes from County Road 74 to Highway 24 and County Roads 169 to 185.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office also issued evacuation orders at about 2:45 p.m. for the area between County Road 2T to County Road 22, and north to County Road 2W.
As of 3:30 p.m., the county was not aware of any damaged structures, Holmes said.
Another fire burning on the border of Weld and Morgan counties also prompted evacuations Tuesday afternoon.
As of 4 p.m., that fire was estimated between 300 to 400 acres and was about 50% contained. An emergency evacuation alert was issued for the area north of Highway 52, south of Morgan County Road H, and east of Morgan County Road 1.
Firefighters tried to control the flames as strong winds pushed across dry land in eastern Colorado. Windy and dry conditions are expected to continue on the plains and south of I-70 on Wednesday, forecasters with the National Weather Service said in red flag warnings.
The plains may see “their first chance of measurable snow” Friday night, forecasters said.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
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