Fire Crews Praised for Quick Response; Criminal Investigation Pending
Trevor Phipps
Just when many residents thought the snow was about to fly and the 2024 wildfire season had concluded, a structure fire quickly ignited into a frightening situation, threatening hundreds of homes and reaching a damage toll that could exceed $300 million.
Luckily, Mother Nature and an impressive response effort came to the rescue, ending what could have resulted in an unprecedented disaster in Divide.
A blaze that started at a residence in the Highland Lakes subdivision northwest of Divide early last week, jumped quickly to more than 100 acres within several hours. The fire burned for nearly 72 hours and forced the evacuations of around 700 homes, impacting several thousand residents. Roads were closed and local schools shuttered for two days while crews quickly responded to the wildfire.
In the end, only one structure was lost, which according to authorities, was the structure where the blaze started. Overall, the fire burned around 166 acres before containment was reached.
According to officials, the fire was human caused, and the Teller County Sheriff’s Office is “aggressively” pursuing criminal charges. However, no further information was released by press time. According to some reports made by evacuation victims and speculation voiced on social media, questions have been raised regarding a resident whose Highland Lakes home went into foreclosure. This was the structure that was seen in photos engulfed in flames. But sheriff authorities have not released any names and contend that an investigation is ongoing.
Two days after the fire was first reported, authorities declared 80 percent containment and started allowing residents back into their homes. “Thank you for everybody between the first responders, all of the firefighters, the Red Cross, volunteers and county workers you have all done omens of work,” said Teller County Commission Chairman Bob Campbell emotionally, at a press conference two days after the fire was reported and evacuations were lifted. “I too get to go home because I have been evacuated for the last two days.”
The fire was first reported in the afternoon of October 28. When it was first reported, authorities said the fire started from a structure and spread to about six acres in size. But then only a few hours later, the blaze jumped to nearly 100 acres.
Just after the fire was reported, authorities put mandatory evacuations in place for several subdivisions including Highland Lakes, Aspen Village, Broken Wheel and Cedar Mountain Road north to Golden Bell. Within hours, other subdivisions, like Spring Valley a few miles east, were placed on pre-evacuation notices.
A spree of local crews responded promptly after the fire started and an emergency declaration was put into place Monday evening. Federal and state crews arrived Monday night to assist with the firefighting efforts.
By Tuesday morning, aircraft was assisting the firefighting efforts. Containment jumped from five percent Tuesday morning to 60 percent Tuesday night.
Crews worked both days until late at night, establishing a perimeter for the fire. By Wednesday morning (Oct. 30), Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell announced that the fire had reached an 80 percent containment level.
Authorities then started releasing evacuations by first allowing only residents to their homes. By 4 p.m., all roads were reopened and non-residents were allowed in the previously closed regions.
At first, the sheriff’s checkpoints were still set up to ensure that only residents went into the mandatory evacuation zones for the first four hours. “The reason we want to let the people that own the homes first is so that they can get home, and everything set up before people start driving through their neighborhoods to look at the fire in the different areas,” Mikesell said.
By Wednesday afternoon, residents praised Mother Nature for blessing the area with some rain and a dusting of snow. The small storm then helped put out the remainder of the fire.
County Commissioners Implement Strict Fire Ban
According to authorities, the blaze spread so quickly due to extremely dry conditions coupled with wind gusts of more than 50 miles-per-hour. The winds over the two days made firefighting efforts difficult and created the possibility of hot spots reigniting.
The day the fire started, the Teller County commissioners were quick to implement a Stage 3 fire ban, which imposed extremely strict rules. The city of Woodland Park then enacted the same ban shortly later.
During a Stage 3 fire ban, all types of flames outside are illegal including charcoal and propane grills and smoking, along with any type of recreational shooting. However, the commissioners did exempt the discharge of firearms for hunters in the back country sections of the county.
The fire ban stayed in effect even after mandatory evacuations were lifted. As of press time, it wasn’t quite clear how long this ban would stay in effect.
“We remain in a stage three fire ban so no barbecue grills and no celebratory cigars outside,” Teller County Commissioner Dan Williams said during the final press conference on the fire on Oct. 30. “It’s going to be shocking for some people. We just toured the grounds and, in some cases, the burn is right up against your house, but your house doesn’t even have blistered paint. We have mental health assets available if people start getting nervous.”
