UPDATE: As of 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 25, the following statistics were used to describe the current status of the fire.
- The fire's size was reduced to 30 acres burned after more accurate mapping
- The fire is currently at 0% containment
- No structures are threatened at this time
- No closures or evacuations have been put in place
Crews are continuing to clean up unburned pockets of fire fuels in the area. The public should expect to see smoke in the area as firefighters continue this work.
The Turkey Tracks area remains closed due to the fire and will remain closed until firefighters contain the fire.
Background Information
The Turkey Tracks 5 Fire was initially reported on Tuesday, September 24 at 1:41 p.m. The 100-acre fire was first reported to be burning in Teller County, about 6.92 miles northwest of Woodland Park.
This area falls under the jurisdiction of the United States Forest Service (USFS). Multiple engines and resources have come from the following:
- USFS
- Northeast Teller County
- Douglas County
- Mountain Communities Volunteer Fire Department
Initial containment was at 0%, and no structures were threatened. No evacuations or closures were put in place.
The cause of the fire was still undetermined, although this particular area is a very common place for fires to break out.
According to a report by the USFS, the Turkey Track 5 Fire is in an area that historically has about five to 10 fires a year due the target shooting that takes place there.
The fire is apparently being fueled by the large amounts of trash and unspent ammunition in the area.
Due to the area's large fire danger, fire breaks had previously been built to protect the surrounding communities. Firefighters were able to use these fire breaks to burn off grass and trash that could be used as future fire fuel.
Responding fire departments say that the public and nearby residents should expect to see smoke over the next few days as the interior fuels continue to burn.
Target shooters can expect the area to be closed for the next few day as firefighters continue to mop up the area.
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