A fast-moving wildfire burned across 3,000 acres east of Colorado Springs on Thursday, forcing mandatory evacuations and destroying one building before firefighters gained 30% containment, according to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
The Meridian fire was first reported about 1 p.m. near Drennan and South Meridian Roads, about 9 miles east of the Colorado Springs Airport, according to the Colorado Springs Fire Department.
County officials issued mandatory evacuation orders for the surrounding area, but most were scaled back to voluntary evacuations by Thursday night. Evacuation orders are still in effect for Blamey Road south of Colorado 94, Hammer Ranch Road and Franceville Coal Mine Road, sheriff’s officials said.
Colorado 94 is closed in both directions between Marksheffel Road and Blaney Road, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The fire was burning north toward Colorado 94, and it’s not clear if flames jumped the highway, sheriff’s Sgt. Kurt Smith said at a briefing Thursday afternoon.
“Right now we’re working on stopping the fire from moving and keeping structures that are threatened from catching fire,” he said. County officials initially estimated the fire was 4,000 acres but revised the size to 3,000 acres Thursday night.
No injuries have been reported, and the cause of the fire is unknown.
The wildfire is burning near Schriever Space Force Base, but the base is not threatened and not required to evacuate, officials said.
Firefighters from El Paso County, Cimarron Hills, Peyton and Schriever are fighting the fire, Smith said.
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