Highland Lakes Fire Grows to 90 Acres; The Teller County Sheriff says 700 homes are threatened

UPDATE: Officials provided several updates on the wildfire near Divide Monday evening.

The Teller County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) said the fire has been named the Highland Lakes Fire. It has grown to 90 hectares and threatens 700 homes. So far one house has been destroyed, but no injuries have been reported.

Citizens should avoid County Road 5 because it is inaccessible, the TCSO said.

The sheriff also said the fire was human-caused, but added that he would not elaborate because the investigation is ongoing. However, when asked during the recent press conference, he said that “we are looking into criminal charges…”

Woodland Park Community Church is being used as an evacuation center.

On Monday evening, the TCSO also declared a Level 3 fire ban. That means no slash-and-burn, outdoor fires, outdoor cooking, outdoor smoking, outdoor welding, fireworks, model rockets, explosives or recreational shooting. The sheriff's office said hunters are still allowed to hunt in remote areas away from fire. It is currently the second hunting season for elk and deer.

The Woodland Park School District also announced Monday evening that the Summit and Columbine campuses will be closed Tuesday due to the fire. The secondary campus will operate remotely and students will be expected to enroll in online classes. Families who cannot attend school online should notify their teacher and their absence will be excused, the school district said.

Evacuation information can be found below.

DIVIDE, Colo. (KRDO) — The Teller County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) issued an evacuation order for residents near Beaver Lake Circle in Divide late Monday afternoon.

According to the TCSO, the order now includes the Highland Lakes Subdivision. Residents of Alpine View, Star View Trail, Beaver Lake Place, Beaver Lake Circle and Golden Bell Lane also need to evacuate due to a structure fire near Beaver Lake Circle.

The evacuation order also includes the district east of the Highland Lakes Subdivision. The nearest major intersection is Cedar Mountain Road to Golden Bell. Everyone from County Road 51 to Golden Bell north and east to County Road 5 must evacuate.

Later Monday evening, TCSO also issued an advance evacuation warning for County Road 5. These include the Aspen Moor and Spring Valley subdivisions, County Road 51 on both sides of County Road 5 to County Road 512, County Road 5 south of County Road 51 on the west side only, including Grandview Subdivision. County Rd 5 north of County Rd 51 on both sides to Forest Service Road 357.