Fossil Beds Fire in Teller County caused by lightning, authorities say
TELLER COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - Crews remained at the Fossil Beds Fire overnight Wednesday and through Thursday as they continued working to build a solid line around the entire fire.
According to the Teller County Sheriff's Office, the fire began Wednesday afternoon near the area of Manchester Place and County Road 42, known to locals as Lower Twin Rock Road.
The fire triggered a brief evacuation and pre-evacuation for subdivisions in the area; those have both since been lifted.
Wednesday night, the TCSO said that the fire was 90% contained and had burned 14 acres; officials also determined the fire was caused by lightning.
Currently, the fire is just inside the eastern boundary of the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument; the Forest Service is now in charge of the firefighting operation.
Forest Service officials were unavailable for comment Thursday.
A storm moving over the area Thursday afternoon brought the threat of more lightning but also welcome rain, calmer winds and cooler temperatures; no smoke or flames were clearly visible.
A tender from the nearby Florissant Fire Department provided water Thursday to trucks from the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.
The entry point to the fire is at the bottom of Manchester, through a homeowner's front yard and a barbed-wire fence separating her property from federal land.
That homeowner, Elvira Beck, lives nearest the fire.
"I'm not at all concerned," she said. "The (firefighters) are wonderful. I knew they'd do a good job. I wasn't going to leave because they were here. If they were pulling out, then I'd be going, too! But my husband and I were packed and ready to go, just in case."
A key factor in controlling the fire's spread was the dropping of red-colored retardant from aerial attacks; more then 3,000 gallons were used from the air tanker base at the Colorado Springs Airport, and from a state plane based in Grand Junction.
Upper Red Rock Road, also called County Road 1, separates the fire between the east side of the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, and the west side where the visitors center and most attractions are.
The only disruptions to the monument's routine were the closure of two trails and the Barksdale Picnic Area, both located near the fire.
Only one subdivision was placed under a mandatory evacuation, but a homeowner in a pre-evacuation area told KRDO he still gathered his belongings just in case.
"We got the essentials together at the house we kinda got ready to go for the essential things but we did start getting our clothes together food together we have a cat we got our cat together," said Teller County homeowner Bradley.
Rain gave firefighters a big hand with containment Wednesday.
