Crews Respond To Pueblo County Fire

A controlled burn in Pueblo County got out of control on Tuesday.Questions have been raised about whether it’s safe to be burning on warm, dry days.Controlled burns are a common sight this time of year in Eastern Pueblo County as farmers gear up for the spring growing season.But on Tuesday, one of those controlled burns jumped over a fire break and into a creek bed.

“The flames were at least three feet high. Some of them got as high as fifteen feet based on the vegetation,” said Captain Walter Williams of the Pueblo Rural Fire Department.

The fire started in a small section that was no bigger than a hubcap. But the wind took ahold of it and the fire quickly spread.” We kind of worked on the edges and worked our way to a spot in front of it where we could get at it in short grass,” said Captain Williams.

The warm and dry weather made it especially concerning for firefighters. “It took them about four hours to contain the flames near Forty Lane and Olsen Road in Pueblo County. “We did have not a lot of snow fall in the Pueblo area, so it is a little drier than normal,” said Captain Williams.

The Pueblo County Rural Fire Department says controlled burns are not allowed on Red Flag Warning Days, which Tuesday was not a Red Flag Warning Day. It is illegal to have a controlled burn without a permit.