Spring Fire burns 104 homes, grows to over 94,000 acres

Update 9:44 a.m. July 4 – The fire has grown to 94,125 acres and is 5 percent contained. A community meeting is planned for 6:00 p.m. at the La Veta High School gym, 109 E. Garland St. Fire behavior is expected to be less active today than it was Tuesday, although fuels remain very dry and susceptible to fire spread and spotting, according to the Incident Management Team.

Highway 160 remains closed from La Veta to Ft. Garland. Highway 12 is closed from mile marker 7 to mile marker 22.5. Highway 69 is closed from mile marker 5 to mile marker 42, except for local traffic.

Update 7:41 a.m. July 4 – The Spring Fire has grown to 94,093 acres and is now the third largest wildfire in state history.

Residents at Cuchara Pass Ranches, Timber Creek Ranch, Timber Ridge at Cordova Pass and Spanish Peak Ranch Estates should start planning and preparing to evacuate.

Update: 11:23 p.m. July 3 – New numbers on the Spring Fire indicate it’s grown to 84,659 acres. Containment is still at 5 percent at this hour.

Additionally, C-DOT is closing the southbound lanes of CO 69 from mile markers 5 to 42, due to the fire’s growth. At this time it’s only open to local traffic, and there is no estimated time of reopening.

Update: 11:22 a.m. July 3 – The Spring Fire is back down to 5 percent contained. It was previously reported that it was 10 percent contained, but the fire grew to thousands of acres. The fire has expanded to 78,941 acres in size.

According to the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team, the fire hasn’t crossed Highway 12, though crews are keeping an eye for spot fires.

(CLICK HERE for an interactive map)

( CLICK HERE for an updated evacuation map)

A report from the team says there’s a possibility of spotting up to a mile away due to the wind, the fuel that’s being burned, and the slope of the terrain the fire is overtaking. At nearly 79,000 acres, the Spring Fire is now the fourth largest wildfire in Colorado history.

RMIMT said that the fire “made a significant run” along the ridge north of Raspberry Mountain ( MAP ), and flames reached over 300 feet in length.

The fire continues to grow in the south and southwest toward W. Indian Creek, but hand crews are working on fire lines in the area southwest of the perimeter.

Residents of the Indian Creek and Trinchera Ranch subdivisions can return to their homes, but the areas are still under a pre-evacuation notice. You’ll need a rapid tag and a second form of identification. Rapid Tags can be obtained at the Blanca/Fort Garland Community Center from 4-6 p.m.

Update: 9:49 a.m. July 3 – The Spring Fire has expanded to 78,941 acres in size. The North Spring Fire, which is the portion north of Highway 160, was very active on the northeast side yesterday. Significant fire behavior was seen in the Silver Mountain area.

UPDATE: 9:25 a.m. July 3 – 60,710 acres have burned and the fire is 10 percent contained.

According to the Costilla County Emergency Operations Center, 104 homes have been destroyed so far, all in the Forbes Park subdivision of Costilla County. 61 homes are intact and others are inaccessible at this time.

UPDATE: Midnight, July 2 — Late Monday evening, authorities gave their first indication of how many homes were destroyed in the Spring Fire currently burning in Costilla and Huerfano counties.

According to the Costilla County Emergency Operations Center, 104 homes have been destroyed so far, all in the Forbes Park subdivision of Costilla County.
Forbes Park is the only area within the fire zone that officials have checked for damage since the fire began last week, officials said.

Officials said the number of destroyed homes was released Monday night during a meeting for homeowners impacted by the fire.

The assessment of burned areas will continue, officials said, and the total will be updated periodically.

Late Monday evening, many residents gathered at the end of Francisco Street in La Veta to watch the fire. Thick smoke plumes continued to fill the sky and flames could be seen around Mount Mestas and Silver Mountain.

Also on Monday evening, Huerfano County authorities issued a mandatory evacuation order for all residents in the area north of and including both sides of County Road 362, south to the Huerfano County Line. This area includes the School Creek, Wahotoya Valley, Little Kansas and East Spanish Peaks communities, the area known as the “Mesa,” as well as the west side of Shangri La. These areas were formerly under a pre-evacuation notice. Residents in the affected area should evacuate immediately.

UPDATE 3 p.m. Mandatory evacuations have been issued for Chama, Redwing, Malachite, and Badito due to the Spring Fire. Highway 69 is still open, according to Huerfano County Emergency Dispatch. ( MAP )

As of Monday evening, the Spring Fire had burned 60,710 acres and containment was at 5 percent, after briefly rising to 10 percent earlier in the day.
Huerfano County previously said Gardner was under mandatory evacuation notice but corrected that at about 3:45 p.m., saying Gardner was still under a pre-evacuation notice.

Here’s an updated evacuation map:

Highway 160, the main east-west route in the area, remain closed Monday, forcing many tourists into long detours of more than three hours.

Chief David Detray, of the La Veta Fire Protection District, said 550 firefighters are working in two teams to battle both ends of the fire, and more crews will arrive soon.

“Everything to the north of 160 is at risk, from (road) 520 on up to (highway) 69,” he said. “The whole Cuchara valley is at risk right now. They’re on mandatory evacuation, and we’re working very hard to do everything we can, to save all the lives and property we can.”

Cyndi Worgan’s husband is one of the firefighters putting in long hours.

“They’re doing some mitigation,” she said. “They’re trying to get dead trees down around structures, also any firewood up against a house that would be very combustible. They’re removing that.”
The fire received a heavy and constant air attack Monday from planes and helicopters.

Monday 10:45 a.m. update: The Spring Fire has now burned 56,000 acres and is 5 percent contained.

According to the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team, unstable weather and warm temperatures are affecting firefighting efforts, and outflow winds from storms could push the fire in any direction.

The fire, which is the largest currently burning wildfire in the state, continues to grow in two different zones. One person, Jesper Jorgenson, is in custody for starting the fire.

The east side of the fire has somewhat slowed in growth, according to the RMIMT, and crews are focusing on keeping the fire away from La Veta.

The south side of the fire is progressing over the ridges of Raspberry Mountain. The growth is being aided by the thick trees and the fact that it’s burning downhill, causing issues for firefighters. Crews are constructing a line around the communities of Pinehaven and Cuchara Village.

Firefighters are also working on lines to keep the fire north of West Indian Creek.

The small amount of containment is along the northwest perimeter in Division D, according to the map above.

Sunday 7:00 p.m. update: Fire officials on the Spring Fire say it has now burned 53,588 acres and is 5 percent contained. The new estimate makes the Spring Fire the largest fire burning in the state of Colorado.

Sunday 5:30 p.m. update: The Costilla County Sheriff’s Office said the suspect, Jesper Jorgenson, did not start the fire intentionally.

Sunday 10:33 a.m. update: The Rocky Mountain Incident Management Type 2 Blue Team is coordinating with Team Black, on managing areas north of Hwy 160. The Blue Team is expected to begin managing the north side of the fire on Monday.

Highway 160 is still closed due to the fire. There is no estimated time of reopening. Highway 12 is also closed in the Cuchara Valley due to mandatory evacuations.

So far in Costilla County, 593 homes have been evacuated; 1483 homes in Huerfano County have been evacuated.

Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team Black says fuels heated quickly on Saturday, causing the fire to become very active during the day. Crews expect conditions to be similar on Sunday. Hotshot crews are currently performing firing operations on Co. Rd. 8. The southeast side of the fire has the roughest terrain with significant amounts of dead-standing beetle kill.

Sheriff’s deputies have begun identifying structures that have been lost to the fire. In the meantime, they’re asking people to stay away from the fire area because it’s not yet safe to enter.
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Saturday 10:02 p.m. update: The latest pre-evacuations were issued for Huerfano County residents. That includes Red Wing, Chama, Malachite, Gardner, and the Badito area on the south side of HWY 69.

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Saturday 8:19 p.m. update: Trinchera is now under mandatory evacuation.

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Saturday 7:15 p.m. update: Fire officials say the latest estimate of the fire is 41,292 acres. There is still zero percent containment.

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Saturday 3:15 p.m. update: Huerfano County officials have put a mandatory evacuation has been put in place for Navajo Ranch, Majors Ranch, Residences along CR 530 and south to Hwy 160. This includes Vega Rd near Navajo. Evacuation can be north to Highway 69 or on Highway 160 only going EAST. You can not go West on HWY 160. The evacuation place for all evacuees will be Walsenburg Community Center.

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Saturday 1:00 p.m. update: A person is in custody in connection to the Spring Fire. It was announced Saturday afternoon during an evacuees meeting at the Blanca/Fort Garland Community Center. Officials identified the suspect as 52-year-old Jesper Jorgenson. He is being charged with arson.

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Saturday 10:15 a.m. update: The Spring Fire grew to an estimated size of 38,136 acres and hasn’t been contained.

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At about noon Friday, an updated fire map was released; the eastern edge of the fire is only seven miles away from La Veta. Officials say the fire is moving east toward the community.

New mandatory evacuations were also issued for residents in the area:

A MANDATORY EVACUATION has been issued for residents in Tres Valles, Paradise Acres, Raspberry Mountain, Pine Haven and the Cuchara Valley. Cuchara residents have 2 hours to evacuate either north or south on Hwy 12 then the Highway will be closed

— Emergency Dispatch (@Huerfano_911) June 29, 2018

A large plume of smoke was billowing from the fire near Fort Garland Thursday morning. It’s expected to move across the Wagon Creek subdivision. Officials said the speed of the fire depends on the wind, the topography of the terrain, and the amount of growth fueling the fire. ( PHOTOS )

Late Thursday night, the Costilla County Board of Supervisors declared a disaster.

“As you can see by the plumes behind us, it’s not a great day for firefighting,” one official said, referring to the dry conditions and extreme heat that swept across the state during a news conference at 3 p.m.

There are about 215 firefighters with more than a dozen engines battling the blaze. Aerial firefighting efforts are also underway whenever the conditions allow.

There is an evacuation of Forbes Park, according to Costilla County Office of Emergency Management. The fire was said to be near Forbes Park Road. ( MAP ) More pre-evacuations were ordered for areas north and east of Trinchera Ranch Road.

A mandatory evacuation notice was issued for the Tres Valles subdivision in Huerfano County. It includes the areas west to the county line, east to C.R. 510 and C.R 520 and north to the entrance to Majors Ranch.

Thursday evening a pre-evacuation notice was issued for the town of La Veta, the town of Cuchara, Paradise Acres, and the Navajo Ranch subdivision. This also includes parts of Pinon Hills.

HWY 160 is closed between CO 159 (Fort Garland) and CO 12 (1 mile east of La Veta).

“We’re making progress in the chase [of the fire], but it can outrun us,” an official said. He said the behavior of the fire is “erratic and extreme.”

Some structures have been lost, though at this time we don’t know how many of them are homes.

Surveillance video from one home near Forbes Park shows how quickly the flames engulfed the structure:

The American Red Cross has opened a shelter for anyone who’s had to evacuate their homes due to the Spring Fire. SLV Emergency Management said no donations are needed at this time.

The shelter is located at the Blanca/Fort Garland Community Center, which is located at 17591 E. Hwy 160 in Blanca. Volunteers will be handing out blankets, food, and water. Cots will also be set out for evacuees.

Another shelter has been set up in Walsenburg at the Huerfano County Community Center. ( MAP )

Evacuated residents are advised to go to the shelter to register to obtain special tags that will allow them re-entry if their neighborhoods are reopened with restrictions.

No injuries have been reported.

According to the Colorado Wildfire Information page, the fire is impacting deliveries to the Forbes area. Mail, including checks and medications for approximately 230 homes, is being held at the Ft. Garland Post Office at 313 Hwy 159. Recipients should bring identification in order to pick up mail on-hold.

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