GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Fire evacuations were ordered in a Grand Junction neighborhood as a brush fire raged out of control and burned several structures Monday evening.
Firefighters reported the fire was 100 percent contained as of 11 p.m.
Residents of approximately 300 homes in the Redlands neighborhood got the call to leave immediately around 9 p.m. They were initially directed to a nearby Safeway but were later bused to Red Cross shelter set up at a Grand Junction school.
The fire was first reported earlier in the day and burned an unknown number of structures as it spread rapidly, fueled by powerful wind gusts. No injuries were reported.
Crews finally got a handle on the fire later in the evening but remained on scene through the night as they mopped up. The full extent of the damage won’t be known until Tuesday morning at the earliest.
The neighborhood where the fire started is located in the southwest part of the city near the Colorado National Monument.
Investigators are still looking into the cause of the blaze.
