YUMA COUNTY, Colo. — Emergency personnel have contained all but one wildfire in Yuma County overnight after multiple fires broke out Wednesday evening as strong wind gusts pummeled the state.
The only fire that is currently active is in a rural area of the county south of Eckley near the Heartstrong neighborhood. That fire has burned an estimated 40,000 acres as of 2:30 a.m. Thursday, according to Jake Rockwell, emergency manager for Yuma County Office of Emergency Management.
He added that winds have died down a bit in the area, and crews are making headway. However, they are still carefully monitoring the contained fires. The winds are pushing the single active fire in the opposite direction of Yuma, said the Yuma Mayor Tim McClung. The Yuma County Sheriff's Office added that the fire "is still going but firefighters and personnel are getting a handle on it."
As of 7:40 a.m., the Colorado Department of Fire Prevention and Control told our crews that all fires were contained and in "patrol status." All evacuation orders had been lifted. A presser is planned for 10 a.m.
A fire warning is in place for the northeast Colorado county, with evacuations ordered for anybody who sees an approaching wildfire, the office said late Wednesday, adding that if you do not see flames, you do not need to evacuate.
Rockwell said officials believe all of the fires were caused by downed power lines due to the wind.
The following is a list of where the now-contained wildfires were reported as of 11 p.m. Wednesday, not including the one that is still active. Some of these combined before they were controlled, Rockwell said.
- County Road 33 and County Road M
- County Road 48 and County Road F
- County Road 385 and County Road 44.5
- County Road 43 and County Road N
- County Road 44 and County Road Q
- County Road 49 and County Road Z
- County Road 20 and County Road U
- 10 miles west of Wray
- South of Joes, near County Road L and County Road 2
- County Road 44 and County Road Q
- County Road L and County Road 2
The county's office of emergency management reported around 9:30 p.m. that strong winds would likely cause these fires to rapidly spread.
The area south of Eckley, where the fire is currently burning, is no stranger to large wildfires. In March 2012, a 24,000-acre wildfire burned in this same area, destroying two homes and injuring three firefighters. Our partners at The Denver Post reported that it was sparked by a downed power line.
The exact size of the fires, and the extent of the damage they have caused, is not known as of 2:45 a.m.
Several shelters were set up for residents who had to evacuate. They closed at 2:15 a.m. because they were no longer needed, officials said. Anybody who needs assistance should call 970-630-3799.
The Yuma County Emergency Management also had a plea for farmers as multiple fires raged: "If you have a tractor and disk ready to deploy to help with fires please call 970-397-0431 for instructions of where you can help most."
Yuma residents told the Scripps News Group on Wednesday evening that power has been out since 8 p.m. At 9:25 p.m., the electrical company that services Yuma County activated its Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings, or EPSS, which allows for the power lines to remain in service with extra protection settings. Power lines are more sensitive under EPSS and will stop power if it detects something is touching the power line. This limits the company's ability to automatically restore any momentary outages, causing longer restoration times. To report an outage, call 970-345-2291.
The National Weather Service posted a radar image on social media showing what it believed were smoke plumes, seen in blue below.
The NWS was reporting wind gusts up to 80 mph in Yuma County, Kit Carson County and Cheyenne County — all along the Kansas border — around midnight. Blowing dust was also a hazard in this area, so a warning for that was in place until 2 a.m. Thursday.
A red flag warning is in effect for this area on Thursday because "fires could exhibit explosive growth and be impossible to control," the NWS said. It warned about 60-70 mph winds Thursday.
An air quality health advisory is in effect until 9 a.m. Thursday due to the wildfire smoke. This applies to eastern Yuma and Kit Carson counties, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
"Moderate to heavy smoke is expected in areas downwind of these fires, including along Highway 385 south of Wray and along I-70 near Burlington," the CDPHE said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
