A wildfire that raced across miles of prairie and farmland on Colorado’s Eastern Plains is now contained, officials said Wednesday afternoon.
The County Road 169 fire was first reported around noon Tuesday and burned a total of 5,599 acres, or just under 9 square miles, Elbert County spokesperson Wendy Holmes said.
The fast-moving wildfire was driven by wind gusts up to 55 mph and drew first responders from across metro Denver as well as from the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control.
It sparked near Matheson, an unincorporated community 17 miles southwest of Limon along U.S. 24. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
While crews halted forward progress and prevented the fire from jumping Colorado 71 south of Limon by 5 p.m. Tuesday, firefighters who remained overnight faced below-freezing temperatures, sustained winds, frozen hose lines and spot fires as they worked to contain the wildfire, officials said.
“Their efforts, in conjunction with those of multiple other agencies, paid off,” North Metro Fire Rescue leaders said in a post on X.
No structures were lost in the fire, North Metro officials said.
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