‘Rock Creek’ fire near Cheyenne Mountain State Park, approximately 1.5 acres
Alexander Brunet
El Paso County Sheriff’s Office held a media briefing around 10 a.m.; a recording will be added shortly.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) has issued a pre-evacuation warning as of 12:32 a.m. July 8. The order includes a one-and-a-half-mile radius of Rock Creek Canyon Road due to a fire one-third of a mile north of 1350 Rock Creek Canyon Road.
EPSO and the Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) say a personal drone has been flying over the fire site, as of 10:50 a.m. Wednesday morning. Officials ask whoever is flying the drone to land it immediately, as it is hindering air operations.
The EPSO tells everyone in the area to be prepared to leave and to evacuate now if you feel you are in danger.
EPSO estimates the fire is approximately 1.5 acres as of 10 a.m. July 8.
KRDO13 has a crew at the intersection of Pawnee and Comanche Avenues, where flames and smoke can occasionally be seen on a ridge overlooking a mobile home park and approximately 25 homes near the Pike National Forest.
Authorities with the U.S. Forest Service and Southwestern Highway 115 Fire spent the night monitoring the fire’s activity.
“It’s just too dark for anyone to fly back there, or get a crew back there,” said Clark Gaddie, a spokesman for SW Hwy 115 Fire. “I’ve been sitting here all night, watching it to make sure it doesn’t go anywhere. In the morning, we’ll get some crews out here, and some helicopters. It’ll probably be a helicopter fight. The terrain is steep and rugged back there. We’re worried about how the wind may affect the fire.”
He said that lightning likely sparked the fire.
This is a developing story. We will continue to update this article as more information becomes available.