KIOWA, Colo. -- A fast-moving wildland fire that forced dozens of Elbert County residents to evacuate Wednesday afternoon was contained later in the evening.

The fire, located north of Highway 86, east of Kiowa, near Big Gulch, quickly grew to 800 acres before firefighters were able to get a containment line around it.

Sheriff's deputies evacuated at least 50 homes in the path of the fire as it moved through rolling grasslands into Ponderosa pine trees.

Officials were slowly allowing people to return to their homes, but the majority remained out of their homes late Wednesday, said Dale Goetz, the fire's incident commander.

Only two homes remained threatened by the fire, whose cause was unknown, said Larry Helmerick of the Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center.

Area residents said small fires started by lightning were common in the area, where homes dot the rolling grassland and ponderosa groves on 35- to 60-acre lots. Many are experienced in putting the blazes out themselves.

Hank Smith said he spent about two hours with sister Wednesday throwing dirt on the fire to stop it from advancing. He got so close, he said, that "when I pushed my glasses up, it burned my eyebrows."

Smith said he has seen four fires in the area in the last six months.

"This is the only one that I've seen get up into the trees," he said, still looking dusty from fighting the blaze.

More than 80 firefighters -- from the Kiowa Fire Department, Elbert Fire and nine other jurisdictions -- worked the fire. Two single-engine air tankers also dropped retardant on the fire and 30 engines and an unknown number of bulldozers and water tenders worked on the blaze.

Firefighting was made even more difficult by triple-digit temperatures in the area. One firefighter was treated for a heat-related injury.

Just 40 miles away, in Denver, the high temperature hit a record 105 degrees while the fire was burning.

Volunteers from the American Red Cross Pikes Peak Chapter in Colorado Springs set up a shelter for those evacuated from the wildfire. The shelter was located at the Elbert County Fairgrounds in Kiowa.