The lightning-sparked Oak Ridge fire in Pueblo County has grown to more than 1,100 acres of U.S. Forest Service land as of Friday morning.
Fire officials in a Friday morning update announced that 445 firefighters and other fire personnel were in Pueblo County to fight the 1,109-acre blaze. . Between Thursday and Friday morning, the fire grew another 84 acres and is now burning on about 840 football fields of U.S. Forest Service land,
The fire, burning in the Pike-San Isabel National Forests, is still 0% contained and is being fueled by fallen timber, grass and 2-foot deep brush — that is, shrubs, bushes or small trees growing beneath large trees in a forest — fire officials said.
Fire crews will continue working to construct and strengthen containment lines Friday, fire officials said.
On Thursday, crews finished a handline on the east side of the fire, near Beulah, officials said. They plan to strengthen the line Friday and proactively burn some areas between the eastern perimeter line and the fire’s edge to minimize the risk to the community of Beulah.
Burning out these areas allows firefighters to create and use containment lines in terrain that’s easier to navigate and has less fuel for the fire, according to Forest Service officials. This helps increase the likelihood that the lines will hold.
“Working directly on the fire’s edge is not an option for firefighter safety,” Forest Service officials said, noting that fire crews were building containment lines further out from the flames on the west side of the fire and waiting for the blaze to reach the perimeter.
Airtankers established a solid line of retardant around the fire perimeter Thursday to slow the spread of the fire to the west and helicopters will continue to drop water along the entire fire perimeter, fire officials said.
Warmer and drier conditions are expected near the fire today, and afternoon wind gusts of up to 40 mph could fan the flames, according to National Weather forecasters.
Sparked by lightning during weekend thunderstorms, the wildfire was first reported Saturday morning 3 miles northwest of Beulah. Fire growth started slow over the weekend, but on Monday the flames grew from a small, 5-acre area to 275 acres in less than six hours.
The Oak Ridge fire isn’t expected to be contained for nearly a month, according to forest officials. The estimated containment date is July 24.
Containment isn’t the end of the flames — it’s the status of a control line being completed around the fire that can be expected to stop the fire’s spread. A wildfire can continue to burn for days or weeks after being fully contained.
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Middle Creek Canyon Road remains under a mandatory evacuation order, and homes on Vine Mesa, Cascade Avenue, Pine Avenue and Beulah Highlands Road are on pre-evacuation, fire officials said Friday.
The Pike-San Isabel National Forests are shut down until July 26 from Forest Road 386 to the north to Colorado 78 to the south and Colorado 165 to the west.
Closed trails include South Creek, Second Mace, Second Mace Spur, Silver Circle, Left Hand, Squirrel Creek, Mountain Park, Coupler, Dome Rock and Middle Creek, according to the agency.
Davenport Campground, Second Mace/Squirrel Creek Trailhead, Mingus Cabin, the Nature and Wildlife Discovery Center’s Mountain Campus and Squirrel Creek Interpretive Site are also closed.
A temporary flight restriction is in effect around the fire to give room for fire crews to work — flying outside aircraft or drones in the area will impede firefighting efforts and ground fire crews’ aircraft, officials said Friday.