Turkey Track Fire in Colorado forces campers inside national forest to flee for safety

The Lifecycle of a Wildfire: From a spark to flames

The Lifecycle of a Wildfire: How it goes from a spark to flames.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. – Firefighters in Colorado have been working tirelessly to contain and extinguish a wildfire that ignited Saturday northwest of Colorado Springs, forcing campers to evacuate the area.

The blaze, which has been dubbed the Turkey Track Fire, was reported to be burning inside Pike-San Isabel National Forest about 8 miles north of Woodland Park, Colorado.

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This image from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado shows crews working to contain and extinguish the Turkey Track Fire on Saturday, April 12, 2025.

(@dcsheriff/X / FOX Weather)

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said it has been working with officials from the Office of Emergency Management, the U.S. Forest Service and the Teller County Sheriff's Office to extinguish the fire burning near the Turkey Tracks Shooting Range, close to Highway 67 and Rainbow Falls.

The Colorado Department of Transportation said Highway 67 had been closed in both directions between U.S. Highway 24 and Triple B Ranch Road because of the blaze, and campers in the area were advised to evacuate the area as the fire burned.

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This image from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado shows crews working to contain and extinguish the Turkey Track Fire on Saturday, April 12, 2025.

(@dcsheriff/X / FOX Weather)

Officials said weather conditions were hot, dry and windy, which could allow the fire to spread quickly.

"Please avoid the area and use extreme caution with anything that could spark a fire," the Douglas County Sheriff's Office said on X.

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Douglas County Emergency Services Supervisor Luke Roberts said the fire was spotted by cameras mounted on radio towers.

"(The cameras) picked up this fire on Turkey Tracks, and this fire grew very aggressively," he said in a video posted to X. "As soon as we saw the fire on our video surveillance system, we let our dispatch know, we let the Forest Service know, and we started getting resources responding immediately."

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Those resources included a brush truck that immediately took action on the blaze, as well as a helicopter that dumped water on the blaze from above.

"That really helped us on the right flank of the fire where there were a lot of fences, a lot of tough terrain to get to," Robert said. "That helicopter really helped us kind of knock the fire down before we got firefighters in there."

As of Monday morning, the Turkey Track Fire had burned about 128 acres and was 45% contained. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly referenced the Douglas County Emergency Services Supervisor's first name.