Two wind-driven wildfires burning on Colorado’s Eastern Plains prompted evacuation orders Tuesday.
The County Road 169 fire started in Elbert County and strong winds pushed it east toward Lincoln County, said Wendy Holmes, a spokesperson for Elbert County. But as of 5 p.m., fire crews had stopped the fire from moving forward and were shifting toward mopping up hot spots, the state’s fire division said.
Crews will remain overnight to patrol the fire that is estimated between 5,000 and 10,000 acres and burning in short grass prairie and cultivated fields, the division said.
“The wind and smoke are so bad that they’re having difficulty assessing it,” Holmes said of the size of the fire.
The County Road 169 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 Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office also issued evacuation orders at about 2:45 p.m.
As of 3:30 p.m., Elbert County was not aware of any damaged structures, Holmes said.
One home was affected by the initial Elbert County evacuation order when the fire started, state officials said. It is unclear how many homes were in the Lincoln County evacuation area, though the area is a “sparsely populated agricultural area,” the fire division said.
Several weather warnings were in effect when the fire sparked. Forecasters warned of westerly wind gusts up to 55 mph and sustained winds up to 35 mph. Relative humidity levels were down to 12%, the state’s fire division said.
Another fire burning on the border of Weld and Morgan counties also prompted evacuations Tuesday afternoon. The fire, which was estimated between 300 and 400 acres, was marked fully contained at about 4:50 p.m.
An emergency evacuation alert was issued for the area north of Colorado 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 story previously appeared in the Colorado Sun.
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