One home lost, 700 homes evacuated, 15% containment of Highland Lakes Fire

UPDATE 10/29/2024 1:00 p.m

As of 1 p.m., the sheriff's office said the fire is now 166 acres in size and that the fire is 15% contained. Although it is a significant growth, Sheriff Mikesell says it is due to the back burns crews conducted throughout the night to begin establishing a perimeter.

As of the afternoon update, there were no changes to evacuation or pre-evacuation orders. There are currently around 150 employees on duty at the fire station on Tuesday afternoon.

An evacuation order continues to apply to the following areas:

• Wayward wind
• Snow hill
• Aspen Village
• Broken wheel
• Alpine view
• Beaver Lake Circle
• Beaver Lake Place

• Star View Trail

Teller County Government

An evacuation warning is in effect for the following areas:

• Aspen Moor Subdivision
• Spring Valley Subdivision
• Grandview Subdivision
• Copper Lake Drive
• Buck Lake Drive
• County Road 5 south of County Road 51 on the west side
• County Road 51 on both sides of County Road 5 to County Road 512
• County Road 5 north of County Road 51 on both sides of Forest Service Road 357

One thing Sheriff Mikesell addressed at Tuesday afternoon's briefing was when people can return home. Given the dynamics of the fire, there is currently no immediate plan to allow people to return to their homes.
The area is currently experiencing gusts between 40 and 60 mph.

KOAA5

UPDATE 10/29/2024 10:00 am

In a press conference Tuesday morning, the Teller County Sheriff's Office announced some good news: crews working around the clock have now achieved 5% containment of the fire.

A mix of surprise rain in the area overnight allowed crews to work on containment. Sheriff Mikesell said the area was beginning to see stronger winds, with gusts between 50 and 55 miles per hour expected in the afternoon.

State resources deployed air drops against the fire this morning, helping to contain it.

Some of the authorities involved in the fire are listed as follows:

• Wide field fire
• Cripple Creek Fire Department
• Pikes Peak Regional Fire Protection District
• Lake George Fire Protection District
• Jefferson-Como Fire Protection District
• Teller County Fire Department
• United States Forest Service

According to the sheriff's office, this fire is being investigated as a criminal offense. They currently believe that the fire started in a house and then spread to the surrounding area.

UPDATE 10/29/2024 6:30 am

According to the Teller County Sheriff's Office, a home was lost as the Highland Lakes Fire burned near Divide.

The Sheriff's Office says all of County Road 511 and County Road 51 from County Road 5 to County Road 512 are closed until further notice.

The fire is burning near Beaver Lake Circle, which is near Blue Mesa Drive northwest of Divide.

There is an evacuation center at Woodland Park Community Church. The American Red Cross of Southern Colorado also provided assistance to the evacuation center.

For those evacuated by the fire, the Teller County Sheriff's Office says they will have medication support starting Tuesday. For those in need of medication in the area, all you need to do is call 719-687-9652 to schedule an escort.

School will be held as a distance learning day for Woodland Park School District students in grades 7-12.

The sheriff's office says the fire was human-caused. They say they are still investigating and the person's name or the charges they may face have not been released.

No injuries have been reported at this time, but people are said to have been treated for smoke inhalation.

We spoke with Chris Ades of Teller County, who was evacuated from the area out of an abundance of caution. He spoke about his biggest concerns about his home but was grateful for the first responder's response.

Due to the fire, Teller County is now under a Level 3 fire ban.

The sheriff's office says there will be an aggressive firefight with planned air drops on Tuesday. They also say they are afraid of the fire because of the area and weather conditions.

An emergency declaration was issued for this fire. You can read it below:

This is a developing story. News5 has a team on the scene and will update this web story as we learn more.

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