Spring Fire Grows To More Than 100,000 Acres In Southern Colorado

LA VETA, Colo. (CBS4) - A wildfire burning near La Veta in southern Colorado has grown to more than 100,000 acres. The Spring Fire was listed at 103,357 acres on Thursday morning.

The fire remains 5 percent contained.

The fire has impacted Costilla, Huerfano and now Las Animas Counties. Pre-evacuation orders have been put in place for some homes in Los Animas County, and all previous evacuations remain in place.

It has destroyed 104 homes plus the outdoor concert stage used by the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad.

Dozens of evacuees are currently living in shelters set up by the American Red Cross.

One man is under arrest and accused of starting the fire. Authorities accuse Jesper Joergensen, a 52-year-old Denmark native whose visa has expired, of starting the fire when he cooked meat on a fire pit on June 26. The fire started the next day reportedly feet away from the fire pit.

Wildfire Resources

- Visit CBSDenver.com's Living With Wildfire section.

Wildfire Photo Galleries

- See images from the most destructive wildfires (Black Forest, Waldo Canyon, High Park and Fourmile), the deadliest (Storm King) and largest wildfire (Hayman) in Colorado history.

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.