Four wildfires burned Monday in Colorado Springs as critical fire weather conditions blew across the eastern part of the state.
Monday’s dangerous fire weather conditions built on Sunday’s, when firefighters in Aurora, Boulder, Colorado Springs and at the U.S. Air Force Academy and Fort Carson army post battled blazes.
The fires at the academy and Fort Carson continued to burn Monday, while an additional blaze sparked at the army post and another flared up elsewhere in Colorado Springs.
Red Flag warnings were in effect until 6 p.m. Monday and winds strengthened through the day, with gusts reaching up to 52 mph.
At Fort Carson, fire and emergency crews worked on a 700-acre fire on a training range that began Sunday and a new 100-acre fire that began about 11:30 a.m. Monday, according to a news release.
The smaller fire, also on a training range, was moving quickly, the news release stated, and all Fort Carson crews were on hand to contain the blaze.
The larger fire was 80% contained as of Monday morning. Initial estimates indicated the fire had spread to 2,000 acres before crews determined the actual size.
Fire officials said it was not clear whether the two fires were related, according to the news release.
The 168-acre West Monument Creek Fire at the U.S. Air Force Academy was 20% contained as of Monday morning and stopped spreading as of Monday night, according to academy officials.
In Aurora on Sunday, firefighters stopped two separate fires near the Anadarko Petroleum Corporation plant from reaching the plant, according to a news release.
The 5-acre fires, which were reported about 5 p.m. near North Powhatan Road and Interstate 70 on the east and west sides of the plants, were under control after nearly two hours.
In Boulder County, crews contained two small fires Saturday night and Sunday night — one on the second Flatiron and one near the Meyers Gulch Trailhead.
Boulder firefighters contained the Flatiron fire about 1 a.m. Sunday, and Mountain View Fire Rescue crews contained Meyers Gulch Trailhead fire Sunday night. Both fires were less than an acre.
An incoming cold front on Tuesday will bring cool temperatures and snow and chances of rain to the Denver metro area, according to the National Weather Service.
