700 homes evacuated, 1 home lost as fire grows to 98 acres in Highland Lakes in Teller County

TELLER COUNTY, Colo. (KKTV) –

UPDATE (10/29, 8 a.m.): The Highland Lakes Fire grew slightly to 98 acres overnight, from an estimated 90 to 97 acres late Monday evening.

No other structures were lost, the Teller County Sheriff's Office said in a news release Tuesday morning. All evacuations and pre-evacuations remain in effect.

“We ask residents of the affected area for their understanding and to stay away from the area to enable the most efficient deployment, movement and response of firefighters. We also ask residents to follow the instructions and guidance of deputies in the affected area to ensure efficient movement of firefighters,” the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff's office released an updated evacuation map Tuesday morning:

UPDATE (10/29, 7:45 a.m.): Evacuees can bring their four-legged family members to the Teller County Regional Animal Services (TCRAS) shelter, officials announced Tuesday morning.

“Our doors are open and we are ready to accept animals affected by the Highland Lake Fire. We will house all evacuated animals at the shelter in Divide,” TCRAS said in a social media post.

The animal shelter will also help pet owners with supplies, it said.

“If you are staying with your animals and need supplies, please come to our CARE House at 404 Highway 67, Woodland Park, or the Divide Animal Shelter at 308 Weaverville Road, Divide.”

The Teller County Fairgrounds in Cripple Creek still raises large animals and livestock.

The Teller County Sheriff's Office has announced a media briefing for 10 a.m., which we will stream in this article.

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UPDATE (10/29, 4:52 a.m.): Seven hundred houses are still threatened. Firefighters are trying to control a wildfire in Teller County on Tuesday morning.

According to the latest update from county officials late Monday evening, the Highland Lakes Fire remains estimated to be 90 to 97 acres in size and has 0 percent containment. A structure has been lost.

The fire began Monday afternoon as a structure fire on Beaver Lake Circle in the Divide area, quickly spread to the grass and quickly spread into the Highland Lakes neighborhood, requiring immediate evacuations. Pre-evacuations were later implemented due to what the sheriff's office described as the fire's aggressive behavior.

Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell says the estimated value of the evacuated homes is over $300 million.

While the fire calmed down overnight, the fire danger is expected to be high Tuesday, with wind gusts up to 50-60 mph. Mikesell admitted he was “nervous” about the fire.

“I know we say it's only about 90 acres, but it's in the middle of a bad area,” he said. “…Our biggest concern tomorrow is the fire risk and that's why these evacuations are happening because they are one-way streets and there is no other way to get people out of the area if it intersects another street. It’s a dangerous and precarious situation for first responders, firefighters and everyone else.”

In a press conference late Monday evening, Mikesell outlined the plan of attack for Tuesday morning.

“Due to the red flag situation, we do not know how this fire will develop. We're working with our state partners… and all of these people are helping us in great ways. Because this is how it will work: Tomorrow afternoon, all of our local partners will send us assets. We will approach this fire aggressively because it is a 97-acre fire in the middle of a residential area with extremely strong winds tomorrow and our expectations for fire danger are very high.”

Mikesell said residents should expect aerial crashes Tuesday as the state rolls out airstrikes.

“You're going to see helicopters, you're going to see everyone throwing everything they can at this thing from early in the morning. We will do a more detailed assessment tomorrow, but we have to get into the race quickly and be very aggressive.”

The sheriff's office is reminding everyone to keep drones out of the airspace starting Tuesday so firefighting aircraft can work.

“Please do not fly drones as they could interfere with or result in the cancellation of these air operations,” the office wrote in a social media post.

Despite concerns about conditions Tuesday, Mikesell expressed optimism that responders could gain the upper hand on the fire Tuesday because all local and state resources were being used to fight the fire and so many agencies were helping.

“With all of our partners sending all these people here to help us, we expect we will get the fire under control tomorrow.”

Due to the fire risk, Mikesell announced Monday evening that a level 3 fire ban would be in effect for the county effective immediately.

“That means open flames are prohibited outside and if we catch you we will give you a ticket,” Mikesell said.

The Woodland Park Re-2 School District announced late Monday that Summit Elementary and Columbine Elementary would remain closed Tuesday due to the fire, while high schools would rely on remote learning.

Evacuees in need of essential medicines will be allowed to return to their homes to collect them sometime on Tuesday. The Teller County Sheriff's Office has not announced an exact time and is asking any residents who need access to their homes for this purpose to call 719-687-9652 and leave their contact information. The Sheriff's Office will notify these residents if they are escorted to their neighborhood.

According to the sheriff's office, a handful of people stayed overnight at the Woodland Park Community Church evacuation center. Officials tell 11 News pets are not allowed in the home and evacuees can take them to Teller County Animal Rescue Services. The sheriff's office says large animals and livestock can be taken to the Teller County Fairgrounds in Cripple Creek.

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PREVIOUS (10/28, 10:19 p.m.): The Teller County Sheriff's Office ordered several areas to evacuate after a structure fire broke out in Teller County on Monday afternoon around 4:30 p.m.

During a meeting at 9 p.m., the Teller County Sheriff's Office said they are considering filing criminal charges once they determine the official cause of the fire.

The structure fire occurred near Beaver Lake Circle near Divide.

Residents of these areas were subjected to forced evacuation:

• Alpine View, Star View Trail, Golden Bell Lane, Beaver Lake Place, Beaver Lake Circle, Golden Bell Lake, Aspen Village, Broken Wheel, Highlands Lake Subdivision, east of Highland Lakes Subdivision near CR-51

“Anyone in this area is ordered to evacuate immediately,” the Teller County Sheriff’s Office said.

As of 9:12 p.m., an evacuation warning was issued for County Road 5, Aspen Moor, Springs Valley Subdivisions, County Road 51 on both sides of County Road 5 to County Road 512, County Road 5 south of County Road 51. The west side includes the Grandview Subdivision and County Rd 5 north of County Rd 51 on both sides to Forest Service Road 357.

As of 7 p.m., the sheriff's office said the fire – called the Highland Lake Fire – had grown to 90 acres and about 700 homes had been evacuated. Officials said the fire started as a structure fire that then spread to the grass.

An evacuation center was set up at Woodland Park Community Church.

According to the latest update from authorities, a house has been lost. Officials said the fire was human-caused but did not provide further information about the cause due to an ongoing investigation.

The sheriff's office said multiple agencies from Teller County and El Paso assisted in fighting the fire.

Click here for live updates from Peak Alerts on the fire.

As of this article's last update, the state was involved in the response effort.

A second media briefing will take place around 9 p.m. and will be streamed at the top of this article.

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