Spring Fire now 91 percent contained; evacuees returning home

As of Monday morning, the Spring Fire is 91 percent and the southern perimeter of the Spring Fire that started near La Veta about two weeks ago is completely contained.

At 6 p.m. on Monday, the Rocky Mountain Blue Team will transfer command to a Type 4 Organization.

The fire has burned 108,045 acres.

The Red Cross shelter has closed and evacuees were able to go home Thursday. That includes residents of the Forbes Park area.

Jean Fix, a Forbes Park resident says, “we need to get in there. We’ve been out about two weeks.”

On Saturday, residents were allowed back in for a limited amount of time. It was there, Corliss Taylor-Dunn Crabtree and her family saw their home was gone. “Just the shock and the sorrow kinda comes and goes, but just the shock. It’s like you can’t feel anything. You’re staring at what you used to live in,” she said.

There are still areas of unconsumed fuels and smoke and flames may visible in some areas. Crews are now focused on repairing fire suppression activities, chipping of slash and backhaul of unneeded equipment.

Firefighters will install water bars in burned areas to help prevent erosion of soil.

On Thursday, Rocky Mountain Team Black transferred command of the southern section of the Spring Fire to the Rocky Mountain Blue Team.

For more information about the Spring Fire click here.

Editor’s Note: Officials originally said during the meeting that all evacuees would be allowed to return. At the end of the meeting, they clarified that applied to all evacuees from the southern side of the fire.