Fire burning on Air Force Academy grounds, Colorado Springs Fire assisting

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- UPDATE: The United States Air Force Academy says the fire burning on the south-end of the Academy grounds is now 150 acres in size and no homes are in danger at this time.

Pre-evacuation notices are in place for two housing areas: Pine Valley and Douglass Valley.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) is assisting in fighting a fire burning on the grounds of the Air Force Academy. No evacuations are being ordered at this time.

USAFA says the fire broke out at approximately 1 P.M. Sunday afternoon. No word yet on the cause.

USAFA says the fire is located on the south end of the Academy, just west of the Pine Housing area. They say all guests of the Academy should avoid the area and follow any instructions from first responders.

The United States Air Force Academy provided the fire map below for fire size as of 6 P.M.

The U.S. Air Force Academy is only open Feb. 26 to DoD ID cardholders, contractors, and those with previously scheduled appointments on base. U.S. Air Force Academy operations continue as scheduled. The installation is closed to the general public and the Visitor Center will be closed. 

"We appreciate the work and coordination with Colorado Springs Fire Department and the Forest Service in fighting this fire," said Col. Dan Werner, 10th Air Base Wing deputy commander. "We will continue to watch the fire through the night, and work with our partners to contain and extinguish it to keep the Academy and our people safe."

Academy District 20 school district issued the following message to their community on Sunday evening:

We are closely monitoring the wildfire activity on the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) and working with our partners and first responders to monitor the fire and our campuses. Due to continuous high winds and pre-evacuation notices, tomorrow, February 26, 2024, Douglass Valley Elementary School will be closed, and Air Academy High School students and staff will have a Synchronous eLearning day.  

While working with our partners at the USAFA, we’ve learned D20 busses will be allowed to pick up students who reside on the U.S. Air Force Academy and need transportation to D20 Schools and Special Education programs occurring off-base.