Mandatory evacuations issued for wildfire west of Leadville, Colorado
Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for several roads and trails around a wildfire that sparked west of Leadville, Colorado.
The Willow Fire began on Sunday afternoon near Twin Mounds below Mount Massive in Lake County, and crews are working to contain it. County officials estimate the fire to be 1,200 acres with zero containment as of Monday afternoon.
At 5 p.m., the Lake County Office of Emergency Management issued mandatory evacuations for everyone along:
- County Road 4 east to County Road 9D
- County Road 9
- County Road 9D
- County Road 5A
- County Road 48
- County Road 99
- All trails from the fish hatchery
- All campgrounds around Turquoise Lake
- All trails up to the treeline
Just before 6 p.m., additional closures and evacuation areas were announced for Hagerman Pass and Colorado Trail sections in the area.
An evacuation shelter opened at the Colorado Mountain College Gym at 6 p.m. Lake County has begun credentialing evacuees so they can re-enter their neighborhoods once it's safe. They asked evacuees to provide proof of their address when arriving at Colorado Mountain College.
Large animals may be brought to the Buena Vista Rodeo Grounds on Gregg Dr. in Buena Vista.
A pre-evacuation notice has been issued for residents in several areas. The LCOEM says residents in the following areas should begin preparing now in case they need to evacuate:
- Homes in the Grand West Area
- Mountain View East and West
- Turquoise Lake Estates
- Silver Hills Subdivision
- Homes on County Roads 9, 17, and 4
The LCOEM encouraged all residents to sign up for Lake County Emergency Alerts. The county says the Leadville/Lake County Animal Shelter is ready to help with small animal evacuations.
Road closures are in place for Turquoise Lake Road, Highway 300 at County Road 5 and County Road 5 A, the intersection of County Road 9 and County Road 99, and the Turquoise Lake Dam entrance at County Roads 4 and 48.
