Firefighters nearing containment of wildfire, evacuation warning lifted northeast of Deckers, Colorado

Firefighters are nearing containment of a wildfire that sparked northeast of Deckers, Colorado, and prompted officials to issue an evacuation warning to nearby residents.

According to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, the Log Jumper Fire broke out near Jackson Creek Road and Rampart Range Road on Saturday evening. Officials issued an evacuation warning covering a three-mile radius around the fire, including the Devil's Head Recreation Area. That warning was lifted around 7 p.m. as fire crews continued making progress towards containment.

The sheriff's office temporarily put road closures in place at South Platte River Road and South County Highway 67/Sugar Creek Road.

Fire crews worked throughout the evening to contain the fire, and one Type-3 helicopter with Monument Helitack and one Type-2 helicopter with Douglas County assisted with water drops. The sheriff's office said that by 8 p.m., forward progress on the fire had stopped, and the fire was approximately 80% contained. It is estimated to cover around 1 acre.

Authorities believe the fire was caused by a lightning strike that ignited a tree.

Multiple agencies assisted with firefighting efforts, including the DCSO, the Douglas County Office of Emergency Management, Douglas County Helitack, Monument Helitack, West Douglas Fire Protection District, South Metro Fire Rescue and the U.S. Forest Service. Command of the incident has been transferred to the Forest Service.

Many areas of Colorado are experiencing moderate to severe drought. The dry conditions have also created high fire danger in parts of the state.