The Teller County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday morning that evacuations for all neighborhoods and residences have been lifted. Less than 72 hours since the fire began, firefighters gained control of the majority of the fire, reaching 80 percent containment.
Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell credits the success of gaining control over the fires quickly as they did to the state, federal, and local fire crews and resources who were deployed within the first 24 hours of the fire starting.
“The reason this has been so successful and the reason we're here 72 hours later and not seven days later is because of all the work that went on that first day, that first night,” the County Sheriff told reporters. “...I fully expected this fire to be one of the worst in Teller County.”
State and federal resources left Tuesday, but local firefighting crews are still on the ground to control the remaining flames.
- The Highland Lakes fire covers about a 166 acres and is 80 percent contained, according to the Teller County Sheriff’s Office
- No injuries have been reported
- The fire started as a house fire in the Highland Lakes subdivision. That home was destroyed, but no other homes have been lost, the sheriff’s office said
- Smoke is not expected to travel far from the fire, according to state health authorities
- A stage 3 fire ban is still in place
The Highland Lakes fire started Monday and spread quickly through tall, dry grass and timber, said Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell. Investigators are considering the possibility the fire was the result of a “criminal act,” but the sheriff’s office has not released any further information.
All Highland Lakes fire evacuation updates
More than 700 homes — totaling more than $300 million in property value, according to the sheriff’s office — were evacuated Monday. Emergency officials alerted over 2,000 people to evacuate via text, call and email.
All evacuations lifted at 12 p.m. Wednesday. Residents must stop at checkpoints on County Roads 51 and 511, and proof of residency is required.
The checkpoints will be open until 4 p.m. Afterward, normal traffic will resume. The Teller County Sheriff's Office requests residents pick up their animals before returning home.
About the wildland firefighting effort
The Teller County Sheriff’s Office said all firefighters still working the fire are from local crews as of Wednesday morning.
Multiple regional agencies assisted with the fire over the last two days, including the Colorado Springs Fire Department, the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office and wildland crews with the U.S. Forest Service.
Teller County officials said more than 150 firefighters were working the blaze Tuesday. Air tankers dropped water on the fire and helicopter crews joined the effort when windy conditions settled.
Mikesell said the fire’s potential to rapidly spread led to a much larger, faster response than usual. He said that’s due to evolving tactics meant to adapt to modern western wildfires.
“We are seeing a pickup of pace because we have drier seasons,” Mikesell said. “There is some change in, really, the environment and how we look at fires, too.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
