EL PASO COUNTY — The Wild Horse Fire remains is 40 percent contained according to Fort Carson's Tuesday evening update.
Highway 115 was closed from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday between mile marker 38 and 32 for helicopter firefighting activity. The 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, and UH-60 Black Hawks have completed air support operations but will remain on standby to support as necessary, according to Fort Carson.
Fort Carson crews will remain on the ground to fight any hot spots that may arise. All firefighting assets external to Fort Carson have been released, the post said Tuesday evening.
Fort Carson said smoke may still be visible from Highway 115 for the next several days. No further updates will be provided unless the situation changes.
Mandatory evacuations were issued Sunday for nearby households, but a state trooper told our News5 crew Monday morning that those evacuations were lifted around the same time the highway was reopened. The El Paso County Sheriff's Office said the areas remain under pre-evacuation status.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office announced the mandatory evacuations for Turkey Creek to Hwy 115/ Little Turkey Creek with an estimated 35 home evacuated around 3 p.m. Sunday. Then one hour later, the sheriff's office issued a pre-evacuation order for all streets connected to Redcliff Ranch Vw and three miles to the North.
The fire is now on Fort Carson, south of Gate 6 and north of Turkey Creek, with the post saying roughly 580 acres have been burned. There are no structures being threatened and the fire does not pose a threat for Fort Carson proper, according to the post.
Fifteen different agencies responded to the fire, with approximately 100 firefighters arriving on scene. Firefighters with the Colorado Springs Fire Department assisted in burnout operations Sunday night.
#WildHorseFire burnout operations. Firefighters use fire to fight fire #wildlire pic.twitter.com/9WQwZPRwHT
— CSFD PIO (@CSFDPIO) October 12, 2020
Authorities provided an update at 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
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Crews responded to the blaze just before 2 p.m. Sunday. At that time, winds in the area were gusting between 40 to 50 miles per hour.
Fire managers said the main concern with the fire now is on the east side of the highway on Fort Carson.
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