Huerfano River fire 100 percent contained
The Huerfano River fire in eastern Pueblo County reached 100-percent containment Friday morning, according to Pueblo County Sheriff’s Emergency Services Bureau Chief Mark Mears.
Diligent volunteers combined with favorable weather conditions allowed firefighting crews to gain an upper hand on the fire by about 8:30 a.m. Friday, Mears said. The fire burned approximately 300 acres of brush. No structures were damaged or threatened by the blaze that started Wednesday morning in a field near Broadacre and Doyle roads. The cause of the fire was a power line that was downed by strong winds in the area. The dry conditions and strong wind gusts allowed the fire to quickly spread to the Huerfano River bed area.
Pueblo County Sheriff Kirk M. Taylor thanked the numerous agencies and volunteers that stepped in to help with fighting the fire.
“This area is among the 72 percent of Pueblo County that is not under fire protection and relies on the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office’s Emergency Services fire team for service. Without the assistance of all the agencies, volunteers and equipment, it would’ve made the job of our volunteer firefighting team much more difficult.”
Other agencies that assisted the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office were Pueblo County Road and Bridges, Pueblo West Fire Department, Rye Fire Department, Pueblo Chemical Depot, Pueblo City Fire Department, Beulah Fire, West Park Fire and Juniper Valley. The American Red Cross and Texas Roadhouse also provided food for crew members working the fire.