COLORADO SPRINGS — The 1,000-acre High Park Fire burning west of Cripple Creek in Teller County has forced evacuations and pre-evacuation notices since it began on Thursday.
Traffic impacts include:
- County Road 11 closed south at CR112, north at MM3 (open only to residents)
- County Road 1 has reopened, but there is no access to evacuated zones
On Friday, Cripple Creek Ranches and Mt. Pisgah Area had to be evacuated as well as Lost Burro and CCME west of Teller 1. CCME, Rhyolite Mtn Mesa, Monarch, and Lost Canyon are currently under a pre-evacuation warning.
The evacuation center has been moved to Woodland Park High School. Livestock can be sheltered at the Cripple Creek Fairgrounds.
Teller County's Emergency Assistance and Response Program helps identify individuals that may require special assistance during a future emergency or disaster. Find the EARP form in this link. It will need to be printed and submitted to the Teller County Sheriff's Office.
The Teller County Board of County Commissioners declared a local disaster for the fire and are requiring emergency action to avoid further danger. However, no structures have been damaged.
The fire is at zero percent containment with more than 200 firefighting crew working the fire. Crews are working burnout operations to prevent the spread of the fire by removing dry fuels.
The Teller County Board of County Commissioners declared a local disaster for the fire and are requiring emergency action to avoid further danger. However, no structures have been damaged.
The fire is at zero percent containment with more than 200 firefighting crew working the fire. Crews are working burnout operations to prevent the spread of the fire by removing dry fuels.
As a result, the fire area has more than doubled in size from 400 acres on Thursday to 931 acres as of Saturday morning.
No structures have been damaged. 120 people are still evacuated.
There is a stage 2 fire ban in Teller County at this time.
Sign up for emergency alerts at www.peakalerts.org.
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Even before a fire threatens your home, you'll want to have an emergency plan in place for you and your family. This should include ways to get in touch with everyone, a safe meeting place, and what actions to take if a disaster were to strike.
If a fire is burning nearby, pack your car ahead of time with necessary documents, medications, clothing, and other supplies.
When flames threaten, act fast! Don't feel the need to be told to leave if you feel unsafe.
If told to evacuate, you must go now. Finally, return home only when officials say that it's safe to do so.
Get the latest First Alert 5 Weather Forecast
Wildfire safety tips to consider before, during and after the flames
- Avoid activities with open flames or sparks
- Avoid power equipment that creates sparks
- Obey burn bans
- Properly discard cigarettes
- Keep vehicles off of dry grasses
- Call 911 to report smoke or fire
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- Reality check: wildfire season is year-round in Colorado
- How to receive wildfire notifications
- Colorado Springs Fire Department to host 'Living with Wildfire' Town Hall Series
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