PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. -- Authorities announced Wednesday afternoon at a community meeting that the 5,227-acre Beulah Hill Fire burning in Pueblo County is 50 percent contained.
The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office says people will start being let back to their homes, but re-entry will be done in phases.
#BREAKING: Packed house tonight. Meeting for #BeulahHillFire evacuees. @PuebloCounty just announced fire is 50% contained! Up from zero. pic.twitter.com/R7jcNQTjKZ
— Russell Haythorn (@RussellHaythorn) October 5, 2016
Wednesday morning, authorities had said there was no containment on the fire, and it was estimated as being 4,845 acres in size.
"There is a lot of open fire perimeter," fire officials said Wednesday.
Pueblo County Sheriff Kirk Taylor said eight homes and 16 outbuildings have been destroyed. The owners were notified Tuesday.
"Most of them knew, or at least they thought they knew," Taylor said. "These are strong folks, resilient, we’re going to be OK."
Most of the town of Beulah was evacuated after the fire started Monday. The evacuation orders remain in place and officials said there is no timeline yet for residents to return home. A public meeting was held Wednesday night.
There are approximately 300 fire personnel at the fire plus three helicopters and air tankers.
Officials said they are expecting the same temperatures and humidity on Wednesday, but less wind.
"Tomorrow's weather outlook is even more in our favor," said incident commander Shane Greer.
Taylor said the investigation into the source and cause of the fire is "close to being done," but he did not release any other information.
For the latest updates on the Beulah Hill Fire, visit the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office Twitter page.
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