A wildfire that began Sunday at Fort Carson, Colo., has spread to include about 670 acres of training area, but does not pose a threat to any people or structures at the base, according to base officials.
Two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters from the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade joined civilian firefighters from the Fort Carson Directorate of Emergency Services on Monday and Tuesday to help contain about 10% of the fire, according to the base public affairs office. Four air crews rotated shifts in the two aircraft to drop water on the fire.
Known as the Wild Horse Fire, it began Sunday in El Paso County along State Highway 115, which runs along the western edge of Fort Carson. High winds and dry conditions helped the fire spread across the highway into the training area of the base, south of Gate 6 and Wilderness Road. On Sunday, the fire had spread across 200 acres and has now more than tripled in size despite around the clock efforts by fire crews. Officials have not announced the cause of the fire.
“Fort Carson crews have established a solid perimeter and are now focusing on interior hot spots,” according to a news release sent Tuesday morning from the base. There are no road closures and no impacts to training.
Active fire and smoke from the interior of the fire will be visible from Highway 115 for the next several days as the region remained under a National Weather Service red flag warning through Tuesday evening. Wind gusts up to 30 mph are expected as is low humidity.
Fort Carson, located in Colorado Springs, has about 24,600 service members and about 31,000 family members. It encompasses 373,000 acres and its largest unit is the 4th Infantry Division.
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