A new wildfire near Leadville has scorched more than 1,000 acres and prompted mandatory evacuations for those living west of town, according to emergency officials.
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The Willow fire started at about 4 p.m. Sunday on U.S. Forest Service land below Mount Massive, near Twin Mounds, according to the Lake County Office of Emergency Management. It was last estimated to be burning on 1,200 acres with no containment, according to the office. That’s roughly 1.8 square miles.
A video posted Monday morning by the U.S. Forest Service showed heavy plumes of smoke wafting from the forest’s rolling hills, backed by mountains.
The fire is burning “in steep and rugged terrain” in a remote area of San Isabel National Forest, according to the Forest Service. It surged over 1,000 acres during the day and grew by another 200 overnight, according to the agency.
“Firefighters are facing another day of high temperatures, low humidities and high winds, which will contribute to fire growth,” Forest Service officials stated.
Crews on Monday were scouting the terrain, trying to find the best and safest way to access the fire through the “rough, rugged terrain,” county officials stated.
As of Monday morning, the mandatory evacuation area included Turquoise Lake and was bordered to the south by Rock Creek, to the west by Hagerman Pass, to the north by Galena Mountain and to the east by Leadville, according to the Lake County evacuation map. The Leadville area was on pre-evacuation status at that time.
Lake County officials said evacuations included all residents on County Road 4 east to County Road 9D, County Road 9, County Road 9D, County Road 5A, County Road 48, County Road 99, all trails from the Leadville National Fish Hatchery, all campgrounds around Turquoise Lake, the Colorado Trail and Hagerman Pass into Pitkin County.
Homes in the Grand West area, Mountain View East and West areas, Turquoise Lake Estates, Silver Hills Subdivision and on County Roads 9, 17 and 4 had been placed on pre-evacuation status as of Sunday evening, Lake County officials said.
“Begin preparing now,” officials said, referring to the pre-evacuation areas. “No mandatory evacuation for these areas has been ordered at this time, but conditions may change quickly.”
Evacuated residents should report to the Colorado Mountain College in Leadville, 901 U.S. 24, according to the Lake County Office of Emergency Management.
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The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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