Large fire near Rye forces evacuations at schools, housing subdivision

Students at Rye High and Rye Elementary schools and residents of the Mount Baldy subdivision and Table Mountain Road in Rye were evacuated Monday due to a grass fire on Old San Isabel Road.

The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office announced Monday afternoon that the Old San Isabel Fire was an estimated 200 acres in size but later updated that estimate to say the fire burned approximately 127 acres and was 85% contained as of 5 p.m. Monday.

The fire grew 10 acres overnight Monday into Tuesday morning but remained 85% contained, according to a statement by the PCSO, which noted wet conditions caused by snowfall were aiding in firefighting efforts. The fire was 100% contained as of 11 a.m. Tuesday, with all fire teams released.

Rye fire teams will continue to monitor the burn area over the next few days, according to the sheriff's office, which cautioned that the public should not be alarmed if they see smoke or flames in the burn area.

"A fire line has been safely created around the interior area, which currently is inaccessible to the heavy fire equipment due to recent snow and wet conditions in the area," the PCSO said Tuesday afternoon.

One outbuilding reportedly burned in the blaze but no injuries or other impacts to structures have been reported.

The Table Mountain Road and the Mount Baldy housing subdivision evacuations were lifted late Monday afternoon. Those areas were placed on pre-evacuation notice Monday evening but the notices were lifted Tuesday morning.

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Students evacuated from the two schools were sent to Craver Middle School, according to a statement from Pueblo County School District 70, and later reunited with their parents and guardians.

The Red Cross set up a reception center for evacuees at the Colorado City Recreation Center, 5000 Cuerno Verde Blvd., in Colorado City, but the center was closed Monday evening, the PCSO said.

Multiple fire agencies responded to the blaze, which was first reported before noon on Monday, and smoke from the fire was visible from Pueblo and Pueblo West.

Firefighting operations were conducted Monday by emergency services personnel from Rye, the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Emergency Services Bureau, Beulah, the city of Pueblo, Pueblo West, Pueblo Rural Fire, West Park and Pueblo County Road and Bridge, but operations scaled down Tuesday, leaving just four agencies to work the scene of the blaze.

The burn area near Rye and was just outside the area of a red flag warning the NWS issued Monday morning. The boundary of the area included much of Pueblo County extending along the Interstate 25 corridor and the state's southernmost counties. The fire was just a few miles from the red flag warning area.

Elevation is heavily weighed in determining boundaries for red flag areas, said Kyle Mozley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pueblo. Rye is over 2,000 feet higher than Pueblo.

Although people expect fires to flourish during the hot and dry months of the summer, fire season in Colorado is now year-round, Mozley said. For example, the destructive Marshall Fire burned over 1,000 structures in Boulder County in late December 2021.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at jreutterma@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter@jayreutter1. Chieftain reporter Anna Lynn Winfrey contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Large fire near Rye burns more than 130 acres, prompts evacuations