EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. — Firefighters in Fort Carson were battling two wildfires Monday that officials were not sure were connected as critical fire weather remained a concern for much of eastern Colorado Monday afternoon.
The first wildland fire began on the southeastern part of the Mountain Post sometime around 2 p.m. Sunday. Initially believed to be around 2,000 acres in size, Fort Carson Emergency Services said Monday they later determined the fire was smaller than originally thought and had burned about 700 acres of land. That fire — which has been named the Range 153 wildland fire — is about 80% contained.
So far, no structures or personnel are threatened by the blaze, Fort Carson officials said in a news release.
A spokesperson for Fort Carson told our sister station in Colorado Springs, KOAA-TV, that the fire originated near an "impact area" — areas often designated for live fire drills and the use of explosive ordinances. However, no cause of the has been determined at this time.
By early Monday afternoon, the Fort Carson Directorate of Emergency Services Fire Department reported a second fire had ignited at around 11:30 a.m. on installation Training Range 153, near the eastern perimeter.
That fire was thought to be about 100 acres in size and officials warned it was "moving quickly" due to high winds in the area.
Currently all Fort Carson firefighters were on scene of both fires to contain them, a spokesperson said in a news release.
Smoke from the fires may be visible from Colorado Highway 115 and I-25, officials said.
The fires in Fort Carson are separate from one burning near the Air Force Academy, which prompted a pre-evacuation notice and the closure of an elementary school near the academy Monday.