The Spring Fire continues to grow quickly, with reports showing a burn area of more than 94,125 acres. That's an increase of 10,000 acres since previously reported. Containment has remained steady at 5%. Most of the land is under private ownership, while state and federal lands are also affected.
Pre-evacuation notices have moved into Las Animas County, with the borders being the Huerfano/Las Animas County Line south to County Road 42, east to County Road 21.7 and west to Highway 12.
Highway 160 remains closed. Highway 12 is closed in the Cuchara Valley area. Current evacuation information for Huerfano County can be found on the Huerfano County Facebook page. Information for Costilla County is available on the San Luis Valley Emergency website: slvemergency.org.
Last updated 10:22 a.m. Wednesday, 7/4/18
Tuesday's post, last updated 9:32 p.m. 7/3/18: 104 homes are confirmed destroyed in the Spring Fire that continues to burn in southern Colorado. Officials say more assessments will come as conditions allow. Evacuation notices and road closures continue to grow as the fire covers more ground. As of Tuesday morning, the fire had burned 78,941 acres or more than 120 square miles, with 5% containment, down from 10% the day before. The decrease is a result from the growth of the fire and increased perimeter. The towns of La Veta and Gardner remain on pre-evacuation status.
Huerfano County has extended pre-evacuation notices north of Highway 69.
The fire has formed two distinct columns—one north of Highway 160 and one to the south. Officials say the North Spring Fire was very active yesterday and it continued to grow overnight. Additional ground resources have been ordered and are continuing to arrive to assist in firefighting operations. An update on the south column on the fire will be released sometime Tuesday.
Another active fire weather day is expected, with hot dry conditions expected to develop throughout the day. Highway 160 remains closed from La Veta to Ft Garland. Highway 12 is closed in the Cuchara Valley area. Highway 69 is closed from milemarker 5 to milemarker 42, but open to local traffic.
Residents of the Forbes Park area can view property assessments online.
The Air Force has activated C-130 planes out of Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs to help support firefighting efforts. Management of the fire has been split between two teams, one focusing on the area north of Highway 160, the other to the south.
Over the weekend, the Costilla County Sheriff's Department announced the arrest of 52-year-old Jesper Jorgenson who now faces arson charges, though officials say the fire was not started intentionally. KOAA has reported that Jorgenson is from Denmark and in the country illegally.
