FRANKTOWN, Colo. — Evacuations are in place in Douglas County due to a grass fire burning a few miles south of Castlewood Canyon State Park, according to Franktown Fire.
As of 1:35 p.m., the fire was estimated at 50 acres and is moving southeast, Franktown Fire said. As of 3:02 p.m., the fire was 90% contained.
The department said the Douglas County Sheriff's Office issued evacuations around 1:10 p.m. for Lake Gulch Road to Greenland Road, and Dahlberg Road to Highway 83. Anybody in this area should leave immediately, the alert reads. A DougCO Alert was issued to people in the area. The below map shows the evacuated area.
This is about 3.5 miles south of Castlewood Canyon State Park. Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed that the park is not impacted by the fire.
Deborah Takahara, public information officer with Douglas County Sheriff's Office, told Denver7 that the evacuation zone is "sparsely populated." A handful of homes are impacted by the evacuation order, she said. The fire is moving fast and isn't expected to die down "any time soon," she told us.
Winds in the area are "our biggest challenge" at the scene, Franktown Fire said.
An evacuation center has been established at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.
Franktown Fire said the Douglas County Office of Emergency Management has ordered "air and blade resources," which includes firefighting aircraft, which will arrive soon.
Douglas County is currently under stage 1 fire restrictions and is under a red flag warning, meaning critical fire weather is either happening or will begin shortly. That warning expires at 6 p.m. Wednesday. As of 1:50 p.m., winds around Franktown are blowing about 9 mph, with gusts up to 17 mph.
In addition to this fire, a crash on Highway 83 near Park Drive has partially closed Highway 83. This is just north of Franktown. The public is also asked to avoid that area.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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