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Crews battling 100-acre wildfire north of Wolcott in Eagle County

Alkali Creek Fire
Posted at 3:28 PM, Sep 25, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-25 19:09:42-04

EAGLE COUNTY, Colo. — Crews were battling a 100-acre wildfire north of Wolcott on Friday afternoon, according to the Eagle River Fire Protection District.

Officials named the fire the Alkali Creek Fire, and several areas near the fire, including the Horse Mountain subdivision were on pre-evacuation notice Friday afternoon.

The fire was initially at about 10 acres in size but grew to 100 acres in about two hours. The fire was 0% contained.

Highway 131 was shut down between Highway 6 and Trough Road. Crews had requested air resources to help fight the fire. But by 4:48 p.m., Highway 131 was reopening from Hwy. 6 to Trough Rd., and traffic was expected to resume to normal, according to the Eagle County Sheriff's Office.

Pre-evacuation notices were still in effect as of 5 p.m. for the Horse Mountain and Muddy Pass areas.

Gusty winds and dry conditions were causing erratic fire behavior, officials said.

View a map of the fire and the pre-evacuation areas: