TELLER COUNTY, Colo. — The High Park Fire burning west of Cripple Creek has grown to more than 1,000 acres and is at 10% containment, according to officials during an update Saturday morning.
Mandatory evacuations have been issued the Cripple Creek Ranch subdivision, the Mount Pisgah area, the Lost Burro Campground and residents of the Cripple Creek Mountain Estates west of Teller 1, according to Lieutenant Renee Bunting with the Teller County Sheriff's Office.
A pre-evacuation notice has been issued for residents in the remaining part of Cripple Creek Moutain Estates, Rhyolite Mountain Mesa Road, Monarch Drive and Lost Canyon Heights. You can find an evacuation map here.
Teller 1 is closed northbound at Venture Foods in Cripple Creek and southbound at Evergreen Station, according to Bunting.
The evacuation shelter has been moved from Woodland Park High School to Woodland Park Community Center. Livestock can be sheltered at the Cripple Creek Fairgrounds.
The incident commander for the fire, Matt Norton with the Bureau of Land Management out of Cañon City, said the fire started around 4:30 p.m. Thursday just east of High Park Road and Teller County Road 11.
Units responded quickly, and firefighters were able to protect the homes in the Lakemoor Drive area, Norton said.
Though the fire has no containment, Norton said good work was done in the Lakemoor Drive and Four Mile Creek areas. He said single-digit relative humidity and wind speeds in excess of 40-50 mph Thursday contributed to the difficulty in containment. Fire conditions continue Friday as well.
Norton said the focus on Friday is the eastern and southern parts of the fire.
The Board of County Commissioners declared a local disaster for the fire around 4 p.m. Thursday.
An evacuation remains in place for the Lakemoor subdivision. In total, 42 homes have been evacuated, which includes 120 people.
No structures have been damaged as of Friday afternoon.
Mikesell said the sheriff’s office will continue to update the community on Facebook and Twitter.
Anyone interested in donating supplies for crews, like water, Gatorade, cough drops and eye drops, can take them to the Teller County Sheriff's Office.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
