Popular Teller County shooting range reopens after fire reaches 100% containment

TELLER COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – A popular shooting range is now reopening after firefighters extinguished an approximately 100-acre fire in Teller County.

The Turkey Track 5 fire, first reported on Tuesday by the U.S. Forest Service, was located just under 7 miles northwest of Woodland Park.

Multiple departments, including U.S. Forest Service, Northeast Teller County, Douglas County and Mountain Communities Volunteer Fire Department assisted with putting out the fire.

On Thursday, firefighters said the fire is now 100% contained, but crews are still working to clean up unburned pockets of fuel in 37 acres of the area. Smoldering and smoke will still be visible in the area until the fuels are completely consumed.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, the fire was in an area heavily used for target shooting, and large amounts of trash and ammunition in the area further ignited the fire and presented multiple hazards to firefighters.

The U.S. Forest Service said due to target shooting, the area historically has anywhere from five to 10 fires annually. Fire managers had previously built fire breaks to help protect the surrounding communities from fire.

Firefighters were able to utilize the existing fire breaks in the area to fight the flames, which helped keep crews away from the hazardous debris.

It also allowed them to clear the area of available vegetation and grass to prevent future grass fires.

The Turkey Tracks shooting range will reopen on Friday. However, fire crews advise that anyone in the area avoid burned areas as smoldering fuel could be harmful to pets and humans.