Evacuation order issued near 24 Fire in southern Colorado
On Friday afternoon, the Colorado Emergency Management Office announced an evacuation order for areas near the 24 Fire near Penrose.
The two-mile evacuation order covers the area around County Road F45 and State Highway 115. A three-mile evacuation notice has been issued for the surrounding area.
The Fremont County Sheriff's Office said deputies are going door-to-door doing evacuations. They requested that residents leave a note on their doors with their names and a notice that they have evacuated when they leave.
The sheriff's office said an evacuation area has been set up for residents, pets and livestock at Pathfinder Park and encouraged residents to call (719) 276-7421 for more information about the evacuation.
FCSO warned that those who choose not to evacuate may not be reachable by emergency personnel later.
"For anyone who chooses not to evacuate, please know that is your choice, but in an emergency we may not be able to get back to you. It is highly recommended that if you are in the evacuation area you evacuate," they said in a post on social media.
Residents in the area can sign up for Everbridge Notifications here.
State Highway 115 is closed in both directions between mile marker 18 and mile marker 39. There is no current estimate for when the highway will reopen.
The 24 Fire sparked on March 18 near Highway 115 and MM24 on Fort Carson lands and quickly began burning through heavy fuels. The fire has grown to approximately 1,067 acres so far and is at 0% containment according to Fort Carson Public Information Officer Dee McNutt.
In a press conference on Friday afternoon, McNutt said, "The fire started on Wednesday, and we thought we had a good handle on it, and the weather took a turn on us."
Dry, windy conditions caused the wildfire to jump the fire line and move closer to Highway 115. McNutt said there are approximately 50 homes and structures on the west side of the highway, and firefighters are working to contain the 24 Fire to the east side, where she says there are no structures.
"Our very professional, good firefighters that we have on Fort Carson were able to call in air assets. We had two C-130s dropping fire retardant along the east side of the road to keep it on the east side of the road. So, now, we're in better shape in keeping it on the east side," McNutt said.
A helicopter is also helping crews with containment efforts.
McNutt said that the fire is still very active, but may die down a little overnight. However, she said they're expecting continued windy, dry conditions on Saturday that could make containment efforts challenging.
Approximately 120 personnel from six different agencies in the area are working to contain the fire, said McNutt. She explained that there is a lot of dry brush and trees where the 24 Fire is located, and firefighters are working to box it in.
She added that officials believe the fire didn't start on Fort Carson and that something from the highway sparked the wildfire. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.