Evacuation orders lifted in fast-moving Colorado wildfire as firefighters gain containment
The Teller County Sheriff's Office said the Highland Park Fire has reached 80% containment after expanding to 166 acres on Tuesday. Law enforcement said it started quickly on Monday afternoon in a grassy area about 40 minutes west of Colorado Springs.
Colorado wildfire causes evacuation of 700 homes
Approximately 700 homes were evacuated in Teller County, Colorado because of a fast-moving wildfire, according to the local sheriff's department.
Evacuation orders were lifted Wednesday afternoon in Teller County, Colorado, after approximately 700 homes were vacated because of a fast-moving wildfire, according to the local sheriff's department.
The Teller County Sheriff's Office said the Highland Park Fire has reached 80% containment after expanding to 166 acres on Tuesday. Law enforcement said it started quickly on Monday afternoon in a grassy area in between a subdivision of Highland Lakes, a community about 40 minutes west of Colorado Springs.
Colorado Springs Fire Department sends firefighting assistance to Teller County, CO.
(CSFDPIO/X)
Officials report at least one home has been destroyed, but no one has been injured. The wildfire has prompted school and road closures.
Fire Weather Warnings remain posted for parts of southern Plains
Meanwhile, Fire Weather Warnings remain in effect across the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles. People in central Oklahoma had to flee their homes Tuesday due to wind-driven wildfires.
There was also a 12,000-acre wildfire in one of the state's wildlife preserves, one of the oldest in the country.
(FOX Weather)
The U.S. Drought Monitor reports that Teller County, Colorado, is in an area of moderate drought, while northern parts of Colorado are experiencing extreme drought conditions.
The Teller County Sheriff's Office said it believed the Highland Park Fire was "man-made" but would not comment further pending an active investigation.
Colorado drought map.
(National Drought Mitigation Center / University of Nebraska-Lincoln / NOAA)