COLORADO SPRINGS — The US Forest Service reported Monday that a Multi-Mission Aircraft identified no hot spots in a flyover of the Blodgett Peak Fire in northwestern Colorado Springs. The US Forest Service now puts the fire at 100% containment.
The fire sparked by an illegal abandoned campfire early on December 22 has remained less than 1-acre in size and is no longer considered a potential threat to homes in the Peregrine neighborhood off of Woodmen Rd.
The US Forest Service is asking anyone with information about the start of the fire to call the Pikes Peak office at (719) 636-1602.
Crews brought the fire under control after a number of controlled water drops, and they were helped with snow in the area over the weekend. Along with the water drops, USFS dropped fire retardant from a fixed-wing aircraft, and ground crews used hand tools to prevent a spread. Wildland fire crews had to hike rough terrain to get to the location about halfway to the peak.
"We're pretty much going day-to-day, it's a very small fire, we've had people on it, it's been treated as best we can," explains US Forest Service spokesperson Susan Ford. "So as the fuels continue to burn out up there in the rocks, there's trees that are burning in the rocks, it's possible that they can be rekindled by a gust of wind, but it's fairly well protected from the winds right now," said Ford.
Drones are not allowed in the fire area.
If you have not done so already, consider signing up for Peak Alerts from El Paso and Teller County emergency officials. You will recieve notifications impacting your neighborhood or the entire region, to include police and fire activity, plus any weather-related information. Sign up here: elpasoteller911.org/246/Peak-Alerts
First Alert 5 Weather Meteorologist Alex O'Brien explains there is a lot of dry brush and trees in the area, plus we are under high fire danger condition across the region. The location is right about where the Waldo Canyon Fire stopped in the summer of 2012, leaving many burned-out trees on the range.
KOAA viewers shared video of units at the trailhead and of the small fire on the peak next to Blodgett Open Space southwest of the US Air Force Academy. The entrance to the open space is off of Woodmen Road with a neighborhood nearby.
#Fire on Blodgett Peak on the west side of #coloradosprings #cowx. I'm getting rocked by strong dry downsloping west winds at the base of the mountains, which could be problematic for fire containment. pic.twitter.com/O3xdEDKOMH
— Matt Minnillo and Blue Thunder (@MattBlueThunder) December 22, 2021
