Fire scare near Divide gives first responders ‘flashbacks’ to previous fire
TELLER COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Teller County Sheriff's Office has lifted two pre-evacuation warnings after a fire sparked on Friday.
The close call came as Southern Colorado has seen a winter dry spell and the fire chief tells us it has them on high alert.
"We have not had any rain for the entire month of November. Conditions are very high fire danger in this area. And, through this corridor, there's potential for rapid-fire development. So, we're kind of on pins and needles every day right now," says John Buchan, Florrisant Fire Protection District fire chief.
Only a year ago, the same area saw a different fire that threatened homes and forced evacuations.
"Just because of previous fires in this area, we knew that we had the potential for a lot of structures to be threatened," says John Buchan, Florrisant Fire Protection District fire chief.
On Friday, residents in the Highland Lakes subdivision were under a pre-evacuation notice, indicating that they should be prepared to leave at any time. Thankfully, in this latest case, first responders were able to get the fire under control quickly.
But for neighbors and firefighters helping they told me they were having flashbacks to the damage they saw last year in the same area.Â
We spoke to a neighbor who says he learned from the past and was prepared in case this fire spread closer.
"We keep important stuff in tubs. Things that can't be replaced: birth certificates...our pictures and things like that. We keep it in tubs so that if we have to leave, we'll load it in the pickup and we're gone," says Charlie Hinkle, a resident in Highland Lakes, only one mile from the fire.
The other area under pre-evacuation warning was between Cougar Canyon Point and Lower Twin Rocks Road. That warning has also been lifted.
No property was damaged and no one was injured; however, the cause hasn't been shared yet.Â
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