COLORADO WILDFIRE UPDATES: 403 fire 25% contained, residents allowed to return home
Apr. 2—Update: The 403 fire has burned 1,388 acres as of Sunday morning.
The Teller County Sheriff's Office announced Sunday residents who were evacuated will be allowed to return home. People who were under mandatory evacuation will change to a pre-evacuation status. They will be allowed to return to their homes after 12 p.m., Sunday. Homes that were under pre-evacuation status before will remain at that status.
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Wildfire in El Paso County
A fire burning in El Paso County has prompted mandatory evacuations, according to a tweet from the sheriff's office.
A blaze burning in Cimarron Hills cause a mandatory evacuation of the area of Preble Drive and Boreal Drive, west to Newt Drive.
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Efforts to suppress the 403 fire continued for a third day in Teller and Park counties as red flag warnings persisted Saturday in southern Colorado.
As of Saturday late Saturday afternoon, the fire had burned an estimated 1,215 acres, with 25% of the fire contained, according to the official 403 Fire Facebook page.
Officials said their main priority lies in the safety of firefighters and the public. Over 123 personnel are actively on the scene, with the majority of resources going toward constructing a handline around the fire.
Although no structures have been lost, they remain threatened. Evacuation measures in immediate areas are still in effect.
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Friday's update, 403 fire
The fire grew to 1,205 acres Friday afternoon, according to the U.S. Forest Service, which took over management of the fire at midnight.
Florissant Fire Chief Erik Holt said 123 fire fighters in total across multiple departments worked to contain the 403 fire on Friday. Strong, sustained winds challenged air support efforts, but crews managed one air drop of 3,000 gallons of water.
A red flag warning remains active across the Pikes Peak region until 7 p.m. Friday. A fire watch also will be in effect Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
High winds rolling through the region may pose problems to firefighters, as winds are expected to range from 20 to 35 mph throughout the day. Gusts may reach as high as 50 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
A media briefing took place at 9 a.m. Friday. The Teller County Sheriff's Office said a deputy will be available Friday to escort people to their residences to pick up necessary medication and animals.
According to officials, as of 8:15 a.m., smoke was not visible from the Florissant Fire Protection District on U.S. 24.
Officials are asking the public for donations of things such as eyedrops, water, and cough drops for both Park and Teller counties. Donations for Park County can be dropped off at the Lake George fire station, and donations for Teller County can be dropped off at the Sheriff's Office in Divide.
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Thursday recap and lookahead, 403 fire
Lieutenant Jennifer Plutt with the Park County Sheriff's Office on Friday said flames were first confirmed by an off-duty sheriff's deputy at 10:58 a.m. Thursday morning following a 911 call from a resident reporting the fire from the Pikes Forest Estate subdivision. By 11:15 a.m. the Lake George Fire Department was on the scene, with assistance from the Guffey and Florissant fire departments.
At 11:31 a.m., mandatory evacuations came into effect for residents within a one-mile radius. By 3:23 p.m., a secondary call for evacuation went out to the residence in a 5-mile radius.
"Right now, in terms of cause and origin, we are working hand and hand with the U.S. Forest Service, Special Agent, and fire investigation team," Plutt said.
Mandatory evacuations are still in place for the Pike Forest, Saddle Mountain Ranch and Blue Mountain Ranch subdivisions, as well as for residents along County Road 403.
Country Road 403 along with County Road 38, which is east of County Road 61, remain closed.
"Depending on what the fire does today will determine when those closures will be lifted," Plutt said.
According to Plutt, residents from evacuated subdivisions can stop by any of the roadblocks in place to be escorted back to their residences for a short period of time to retrieve any necessary materials left in their homes.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, approximately 1,100 acres have burned since the fire began Thursday morning. The area is expecting more resources Friday to help suppress the fire, including aviation support. However, the high winds present could limit the abilities of aircraft.
As of 10 a.m. Friday, Teller County moved into stage 2 of an active burn ban, posting the resolution from the county commissioners to its Twitter account.
According to the Pike & San Isabel National Forest, and the Cimarron & Comanche National Grasslands Fire Information Blog, the fire has burned a total of 1,205 acres as of 1:30 p.m. Friday. The Forest Service is leading current operations on the ground, utilizing resources from Teller and Park counties. The Department of Fire Prevention and Control's aviation resources were unable to fly Friday due to high winds present in the area.
The blog states the main goal is to continue to limit fire growth.
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Fire in Park and Teller counties: 403 fire
As the 403 fire crosses over county lines, Teller County authorities Thursday evening ordered mandatory evacuations for the area stretching from County Road 46 to Wilson Drive and for residents of the Wilson Lakes and Forest Glenn subdivisions. Officials say 1,047 acres have been burned as of 8:45 p.m.
A pre-evacuation warning was issued for Valley Hi and Florissant Heights subdivisions, according to Teller County Sheriff Office. Residents in the area are asked to evacuate immediately if in danger. Officials announced the closest major intersection is County Road 403 and County Road 98 in Park County.
Click here for an interactive map of the current evacuation and pre-evacuation zones for the 403 fire.
Emergency shelters for evacuees are set up at the Woodland Park Community Center at 800 Valley View Drive.
Officials announced the power and gas will be cut off south of Highway 24 and west Teller 1 to the County line at 8:20 p.m., mainly impacting the subdivisions of Wilson Lakes and Forest Glenn.
Park County residents within one mile of County Road 403 and Alpine Meadow Lane were previously ordered to evacuate at 11:39 a.m. The alert said structures in the area are threatened by the grassfire.
An emergency evacuation shelter is open at the Lake George Community Center located at 39141 U.S. 24. Those with large animals or livestock are asked to locate to the Lake George Fairgrounds at 37371 Highway 24. For immediate updates, residents can call the evacuation line at 719-836-4200.
A media staging will take place at Florissant Grange located at 2009 Teller County Road 31, according to a tweet from the Teller County Sheriff's Office.
According to the Teller County Sheriff's Office, smoke was visible in the west part of the county because of the fire burning behind the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. Officials are asking the public to call 911 only if they see active flames, or a plume of smoke.
The Department of Public Health and Environment issued an air quality advisory for southeastern Park County and western Teller County. Park County officials advise citizens to remain indoors if smoke becomes too thick in their neighborhood, especially the young, the elder, and those with heart disease, or respiratory illness.
Fire near Simla: 125 fire
Officials lifted an evacuation of Simla at 6:10 p.m. Thursday after the 125 fire threatened approximately 500-700 acres, according to the Elbert County Office of Emergency Management and Elizabeth Fire. Elbert County Road and Bridge cleared 25 feet of vegetation to prevent the fire from spreading into the town.
As of about 8 p.m., the fire was 96% contained. Crews expected to remain on scene to tend to hotspots until Friday morning.
The Colorado Springs Fire Department first reported sending two brush trucks, one engine and a battalion chief to assist with a wildland fire off of U.S. 24 south of Simla at 4:12 p.m.
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Fire in Colorado Springs
Fire crews earlier Thursday contained a wildland fire in southeast Colorado Springs in the area of Delta and Hancock. The fire stretched approximately half an acre and was contained by 2:39 p.m., just under two hours from when CSFD says crews arrived.
No structures were threatened or lost, and no civilians were injured, according to the Colorado Springs Fire Department. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
