Homes Destroyed in 14,000-Acre Fire Burning in Southern Colorado as Denver just had Hottest Day Ever

The Spring Fire, Costilla County in southern Colorado is at zero percent containment and has burned more than 14,000 acres in the Trinchera/Forbes Park area east of Fort Garland as of Thursday morning, reports 9news.

Homes have been destroyed by the wildfire just east of Fort Garland, according to local emergency management officials. They did not specify how many homes and other structures were burned.

At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Phil Daniels, the Deputy Chief for the wildfire section of Division of Fire Prevention and Control, said that the fire had burned through the Forbes Park subdivision, leaving some homes and other structures destroyed or damaged. He did say there were able to save many of the homes. He was not able to say how many structures were destroyed or how many were damaged as the fire came through. Daniels did say that there have not been any injuries or deaths.

A mandatory evacuation is still in effect for Forbes Park – and the alert has been sent to 383 phone numbers. All roads leading into Forbes Park and Wagon Creek subdivisions are closed according to a post on the local emergency management information page Thursday morning. Wagons Creek and the Middle Creek Drainage are under a pre-evacuation notice as well. A shelter has been set up at the Blanca/Fort Garland Community Center along 4th Avenue west of town. The exact address is 17591 East Highway 160, Blanca, Colorado.

According to Daniels, approximately 80 to 100 firefighters and 15 engines are currently battling the blaze from the ground. He said they also have support from the air. He expects that number to drastically increase by Friday.

Costilla County is in a Stage 2 fire ban, which means residents can’t smoke unless they are in an enclosed vehicle or building. It also means fireworks are banned. No one can have a campfire going and no one’s allowed to use any kind of explosives. Residents are also banned from using a chainsaw powered by a combustion engine between the hours of 1 p.m. and 1 a.m. daily. No one can weld either.

Meanwhile, in Denver the mercury hit 105 degrees at 2:20 pm Thursday, tying the all-time record high temperature ever recorded in the city, the National Weather Service said.

The previous record high for June 28 was 99 degrees set in 1986. The Mile High City had reached 105 degrees four other times: Aug. 8, 1878; July 20, 2005; June 25, 2012; and June 26, 2012.