TELLER COUNTY, Colo. (KKTV) –

UPDATE (29/10, 13:00): The Highlands Lake Fire is now 15 percent contained as firefighters launch an “everything but the kitchen sink” attack on the 166-acre blaze.

The latest size estimate was given at 1 p.m. You can see the latest evacuation map later in this article.

Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said at a 10 a.m. news conference: “It wasn’t supposed to rain at all last night, but luckily God sent some air tankers up into the clouds and they dropped some rain this morning. ”

With a token from Mother Nature, the state’s real aircraft jumped into action Tuesday morning and made their first drops on the wildfire, which combined with an aggressive attack helped contain this small but significant amount of fire.

“We’re confident we’re at the beginning of a good containment process,” Mikesell said, echoing similar comments he made Monday night when he expressed optimism that crews would bring the fire under control on Tuesday.

But the sheriff warned the crew Tuesday that difficult conditions were ahead.

“The problem is that the winds are already picking up, which will cause everything to dry out very quickly. So we’re still looking at fire issues and our winds are expected to reach somewhere between 50-55 miles per hour and that’s a sustained wind today. So we are still at high risk today.”

“Because this is a dangerous fire, all evacuations will continue for now,” Mikesell said. A fire in the middle of the Highland Lakes subdivision is threatening hundreds of homes.

Due to extremely high fire danger, Teller County is under stage 3 fire restrictions, which prohibit any outdoor burning, including smoking. An exception has been made for hunters in rural areas, but specifically no burning of any kind on private property – which Mikesell said had already happened since stage 3 restrictions were implemented on Monday evening.

Those who do not comply with fire restrictions will be fined.

UPDATE (29.10, 8:00): The Highland Lakes Fire grew slightly overnight to 98 acres, from an estimated 90-97 acres late Monday night.

The Teller County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Tuesday morning that no outbuildings were lost. All evacuations and pre-evacuations are ongoing.

“We ask residents of the affected area to be understanding and avoid the area to enable firefighters to deploy, move and respond in the most efficient manner. We also ask citizens to follow the instructions and guidance provided by deputies assisting in the affected area to ensure firefighters can operate effectively,” he said. .

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

UPDATE (29.10, 07:45): 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 ready to accept animals impacted by the Highland Lake Fire. We will house all evacuated animals at the shelter at Divide,” TCRAS said in a social media post.

The shelter will also help pet owners with supplies.

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

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

The Teller County Sheriff’s Office announced a media briefing at 10 a.m., which we will post in this article.

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UPDATE (10/29, 4:52): Seven hundred homes are under threat Tuesday morning as firefighters try to gain the upper hand on a wildfire burning in Teller County.

The Highland Lakes Fire is estimated to be between 90-97 acres and has 0 percent containment, according to the latest update from county officials late Monday night. A structure has disappeared.

The blaze began as a structure fire on Beaver Lake Circle in the Divide area Monday afternoon, jumping into grass and quickly spreading through the Highland Lakes subdivision, forcing emergency evacuations. Pre-evacuations were later added due to what the sheriff’s office described as aggressive behavior by the fire.

Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said the estimated value of the evacuated homes is more than $300 million.

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

“I know we said it was only 90 acres, but this is in the middle of a bad area,” he said. “… Our biggest concern tomorrow is fire danger and that’s why you’re seeing these evacuations happen, because these are one-way areas, there’s no other way to get people out of the area if they go another way. “It’s a dangerous and unstable situation for first responders, firefighters and everyone else.”

At a news conference late Monday night, Mikesell outlined his plan of attack for Tuesday morning.

“Due to Red Flag status, we do not know how this fire will turn out. We work with our state partners… and all of these people are helping us wonderfully. Because it will go like this: Tomorrow afternoon, through our local partners… they will all send assets to us. “We will be aggressive on this fire because we have a 97-acre fire in the middle of a parcel that will have very high winds tomorrow and our expectations for fire danger are very high.”

Mikesell said residents can expect to see weather drops Tuesday as the state brings in weather assets.

“You will see the helicopters, you will see everyone throwing everything possible at this thing from early in the morning. “We will have a more comprehensive assessment tomorrow, but we want to act very aggressively to extinguish this fire quickly.”

The sheriff’s office is reminding everyone to keep drones out of the airspace starting Tuesday so firefighting planes can operate.

“Please do not fly drones as they will interfere with or cause the cancellation of these aerial missions,” the office wrote in a social media post.

Despite concerns about conditions Tuesday, Mikesell expressed optimism that crews would be able to get the upper hand on the fire Tuesday, with all local and state resources being put into the fire and multiple agencies assisting.

“We hope to get this fire under control tomorrow as all our partners send these people here to help us.”

Due to fire danger, Mikesell announced Monday night that this would be effective immediately: The district will be under a stage 3 fire ban.

“This means any open flames outside are prohibited and if we catch you we will ticket you,” Mikesell said.

Woodland Park Re-2 School District announced late Monday that Summit Elementary School and Columbine Elementary School will close Tuesday due to fire, while the middle schools will switch to remote learning.

Evacuees who need critical medications will be allowed to return home to receive them at some point Tuesday. The Teller County Sheriff’s Office has not released an exact time and is asking residents who need access to their homes for this purpose to call 719-687-9652 and leave contact information. The sheriff’s office will notify these residents when they will be transported to their neighborhoods.

The sheriff’s office said a handful of people spent the night at an evacuation center set up at the Woodland Park Community Church. Officials tell 11 News pets are not allowed inside 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 (28.10, 22:19): The Teller County Sheriff’s Office requested the evacuation of multiple areas following a structure fire in Teller County around 4:30 Monday afternoon.

During the briefing at 9 p.m., the Teller County Sheriff’s Office said they were considering opening a criminal investigation after learning the official cause of the fire.

The structure fire occurred near Beaver Lake Circle near the Divide.

Residents of these areas were subject to mandatory evacuation:

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

“Everyone in this area has been ordered to evacuate immediately,” the Teller County Sheriff’s Office said.

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

The sheriff’s office said that as of 7 p.m., the fire, called the Highland Lake Fire, had reached 90 acres and approximately 700 homes had been evacuated. Authorities said the fire started as a building fire and then spread to the grass.

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

According to the latest information from the authorities, a house was lost. Authorities said the fire was human-caused but did not share additional information about the cause due to the ongoing investigation.

The sheriff’s office said multiple Teller County and El Paso agencies helped fight the fire.

Click here For live updates from Summit Alerts on fire.

As of the last update of this article, the state was involved in response efforts.

A second media briefing will be held around 21:00 and will be published at the top of this article.

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