Colorado Fires Map, Updates On Evacuations In Castle Rock
On Tuesday morning, April 17, 2018, multiple homes caught fire in Castle Rock, Colorado. As CBS Denver reported, the cause of these fires in Castle Rock is still being investigated, but officials believe it was started in a garage of a home located in the 4800 block of North Foxtail Drive. Powerful winds carried the flames to four other homes, including some located on the street behind North Foxtail Drive. Two of the homes were completely destroyed, and three other houses were damaged.
Other homes located in the area were evacuated on Tuesday morning. Because of a three-alarm fire being contained in Tomah, 10 miles south of Castle Rock, the Castle Rock Fire Department had a lot of resources in the area to battle the Foxtail Drive fires. Thus far, there have been no reports of any injuries, and the fire is contained.
But that’s not the only fire Colorado is facing. On Tuesday, a grass fire was reported on the other side of the county, and pre-evacuations have been issued. The official Twitter account for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office of Colorado tweeted an updated pre-evacuation zone map for the fire and is using the hashtag #IndianCreekFire.
#Rampart67Fire updated pre-evacuation zone. pic.twitter.com/5oUCgIMrtJ
— DC Sheriff (@dcsheriff) April 17, 2018
****Update**** #Rampart67Fire is approximately 60-70% contained and is approximately 5-7 acres.
— DC Sheriff (@dcsheriff) April 17, 2018
The hashtag #Rampart67Fire was initially being used by the Douglas County Sheriff, but after the U.S. Forest Service took command, it was changed. The Douglas County Sheriff Twitter account also provided updates on the Tomah fire. The Tomah fire is reported as being less than one acre and is 100 percent contained.
Multiple units from South Metro are assisting Castle Rock with 3 homes burning on N. Foxtail Drive. Immediate surrounding homes evacuated, no injuries reported. Firefighters contending with high winds. Updates to follow. pic.twitter.com/AIP3zSb0i3
— SouthMetroFireRescue (@SouthMetroPIO) April 17, 2018
Claims Journal reported that Colorado could suffer from their worst fire season since 2012 and 2013. In 2013, the Black Forest Fire in El Paso County ruined nearly 500 homes. Experts say that Colorado’s abnormally dry winter, classified as an extreme drought, and windy conditions are to blame for current outbursts, including one grass fire that caused the small town of Boone to be evacuated on Thursday. Snow at the lower mountain elevations melted early because of a warm winter, worsening the danger of wildfires.
Claims Journal also reported that a climate scientist, Klaus Wolter, with the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences in Boulder, Colorado, said that the conditions, in part, were caused by the second consecutive La Nina year. Wolter expounded on the climate conditions, and how it may not be all doom and gloom.
“In a second-year La Nina, it really tilts the odds toward dry conditions overall…I’m not convinced we have seen our last snow. It’s not all doom and gloom. It’s just not a good setup.”
