Small wildfire caused by lightning strike quickly put out in Huerfano County

HUERFANO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - A Sunday afternoon lightning strike almost created huge problems for first responders in Huerfano and Custer Counties.

Just after 3:30 P.M., the Custer County Sheriff's Office alerted the public to a plume of smoke coming up from a wildfire just five miles from the Custer-Huerfano County Line in Huerfano County.

A mutual aid request was made because the fire sparked in a place that vehicles couldn't get to.

Thankfully, crews were able to reach the fire before it could spread. The Huerfano County Sheriff's Office says a United States Forest Service Hot Shot Team and one volunteer firefighter extinguished the blaze. The final size estimation was 1/4 of an acre. A helicopter water drop on the fire also helped.

At the scene of the fire, first responders determined that a lightning strike hitting three trees caused the small fire.