Ten fire crews battling fire in Bent County near John Martin Reservoir

BENT COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Firefighters are still battling a fire that started early Friday afternoon near the John Martin Reservoir.

The Bent County Sheriff's Office said the riverbed fire is about 80% contained and so far has burned roughly 4,000 acres.

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife Southeast Region, ten agencies, led by the Las Animas Fire Department, spent Friday battling the flames fueled by heavy winds. The fire is burning so close to the Arkansas River, it's inaccessible.

BREAKING: A wildfire is burning on the 19,471-acre John Martin Reservoir State Wildlife Area near Fort Lyons, which is evacuated. The Las Animas Fire Department is the lead of 10 agencies fighting the blaze, which is burning in inaccessible Arkansas River bottoms amid heavy winds

— CPW SE Region (@CPW_SE) January 15, 2021

The severity of the fire led to evacuations in Fort Lyon for a few hours, those orders have since been lifted.

No word on what started the fire. This is a developing story and this article will be updated as more information becomes available.