1 person dead in mobile home fire | Alturas fire cause | Akerman fire arrest | High Park fire continues to spread | May 12 fire updates
Update Saturday, 9:34a.m.
Officials said Saturday that crews working overnight had managed to get to about 10 percent containment on the High Park fire and that, so far, no structures have been destroyed.
The fire has grown to more than 1,000 acres, though officials said that is due mostly to crews conducting burns to mitigate the fire.
Cripple Creek Mountain Estates and the Rhyolite Mountain Mesa are remain under pre-evacuation orders. The evacuation shelter has been moved to Woodland Park High School, officials said.
Officials are advising residents to stay up to date through peakalerts.org. Updates can also be found on the Teller County Sheriff's Office Facebook page.
Update Friday, 8:00pm:
The fire burning west of Cripple Creek in Teller County prompted additional evacuation orders for the Cripple Creek Ranches and Mount Pisgah area Friday evening. The Teller County Sheriff's Office said livestock can be sheltered at the Cripple Creek Fairgrounds and people can head to Cripple Creek High School.
The fire has grown to a little larger than a square mile. Most of that fire growth is due to fire fighters back burning to build containment lines around the fire. The cause of the blaze is unknown. It started on private property and spread to Bureau of Land Management land.
The following communities are under pre-evacuation orders: Cripple Creek Mountain Estates, Rhyolite Mountain Mesa, Monarch Drive, Lost Canyon Heights.
Update Friday, 12:36pm:
Matt Norton, incident commander for the fire, said the fire started around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, just east of High Park Road and County Road 11.
"Obviously the conditions yesterday were pretty critical, fire-danger-wise," he said. "We were looking at single-digit relative humidity and wind speeds in excess of 40 to 50 miles per hour. Pretty extreme conditions."
Norton says "a lot of good work was made" on the fire overnight to mitigate its spread and protect homes. He said crews will continue to focus on the Lakemoor subdivision and Four Mile Creek areas.
150 personnel from multiple agencies are working on the fire, which is burning on private and Bureau of Land Management lands. No structures are threatened at this time The cause is unknown.
Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell asked the community to bear with firefighters and emergency responders as information continues to roll out.
"I know it's very stressful," he said.
Residents are asked to not call 9-1-1 unless there is an emergency unrelated to the fire.
The Lakemoor subdivision remains under mandatory evacuation orders. Cripple Creek Ranches, Lost Burro Campground and some areas along Mount Pisgah to Teller County Road 1 are on pre-evacuation status.
Evacuees can go to the Cripple Creek High School. Large animals and pets can be taken to the Cripple Creek Fairgrounds.
A town hall meeting will be held Friday at 1 p.m. at the Florissant Fire Department for residents seeking information. Updates will also be provided on the Sheriff's Office Facebook page and Twitter account.
