Summit County Citizens Voice

Highway 24 and Pikes Peak Highway closed; pre-evacuation notices in parts of Woodland Park and evacuations at Air Force Academy Camp

Waldo Canyon Fire map.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Helped by a massive aerial attack, firefighters managed to gain a toehold against the 4,500-acre Waldo Canyon Fire near Colorado Springs. Fire officials said late Monday that the fire is 5 percent contained and estimated full containment by mid-July.

But the flames spread far enough to force a closure of Highway 24, a key east-west corridor in the area, and evacuations at the U.S. Air Force Academy Camp and a Forest Service campground.

Pre-evacuation notices have been issued for parts of Woodland Park south of County road 213. The Pikes Peak cog railway and the Pikes Peak Highway are also closed.

After a string of arsons in the area, there are suspicions that the Waldo Canyon Fire may have been intentionally set. Investigators are asking for the public’s help in pinpointing the exact cause of the fire.

Anyone who was in the Waldo Canyon area at the time the fire started (about 12 p.m., Saturday, June 23) is being asked to report anything that may help the investigation by calling 719-477-4205.

During a morning briefing, Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach credited ongoing fuel reduction and fire mitigation efforts made all the difference in being able to protect homes in the Cedar Heights area, where the flames burned to within several hundred feet of neighborhoods.

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Drought, Environment, forest fires Tagged: | Colorado Springs, Colorado wildfires, Manitou Springs Colorado, Pikes Peak Highway, United States Forest Service, Waldo Canyon Fire