Colorado Springs fire officials lifted evacuations for hotels and businesses near Interstate 25 and InterQuest Parkway on the city’s north side after a brush fire broke out early Sunday afternoon.
Just before 2 p.m. fire officials tweeted the “bulk” of the fire was “knocked down” and crews had established a containment line, bringing the fire under control. Evacuations were lifted around 2:30 p.m.
#ColoradoSpribgsFire bulk of fire is knocked down crews have a an initial containment line established. Lot of smoke in the area still
— CSFD PIO (@CSFDPIO)
Lots of smoke is still in the area as firefighters mop up the hotspots, officials said. No structures are threatened, they said.
#ColoradoSpringsFire CSFD and partner agency units mopping up hot spots and interior fires. No structures threatened at this time. pic.twitter.com/1xXBNGe0At
— CSFD PIO (@CSFDPIO)
#ColoradoSpringsFire Evacuations of local hotels and businesses have been lifted. Crews are mopping up hot spots. Media brief at 3:15 on the west side of the Colorado Mtn Brewery parking lot. Fire is under control.
— CSFD PIO (@CSFDPIO)
Colorado Springs resident Dave Whaley and his sons Owen, 11, and Isaac, 8, were among those evacuated at the nearby Great Wolf Lodge. Like many visitors they were in the pool at the time of the evacuations and, clad in swimwear, headed to the back parking lot on foot and then, eventually, to Scheels.
“I was nervous because the grass fire was so close to the building,” Owen Whaley told The Gazette.
At the Great Wolf Lodge, where a nearby grass fire prompted evacuations earlier today. Among those evacuated, Dave Whaley and his sons Owen, 11, and Isaac, 8. Like many visitors, they were in the pool at the time of evacuation. @csgazette #csprings
— Gazette Erin Prater (@GazetteEPrater)
Dave Whaley, however, wasn’t worried but was grateful for the unseasonably warm weather, which made evacuating in swimwear bearable, he said.
Firefighters on Sunday also battled a second brushfire that ignited off I-25 near Woodmen Road just after 1 p.m. Gazette news partner KKTV reported firefighters “quickly got a handle” on that brushfire.
The fires broke out as the National Weather Service in Pueblo issued a red flag warning for high fire danger Sunday in Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region, warning of above-average temperatures and gusty winds.
The red flag warning is in effect from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in El Paso, Teller and Fremont counties, along with other areas in southeast Colorado. Winds between 10 and 20 mph were forecast, with gusts between 35 to 45 mph in the Pikes Peak region, the agency said.
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