RIFLE, Colo. — A fire in north Rifle that spread to an apartment building and forced the evacuation of dozens of residents has been contained, fire official said Thursday.
The Willow Fire was first reported at around 4 p.m. Wednesday in a backyard threatening a resident. But high winds prompted evacuations along Willow Creek Circle and West 30th Street as the fifre burned down the creek corridor to the Rifle Creek Apartments near West 30th Street, where it spread into the roof of the eight-unit building.
That building sustained significant fire damage and was believed to be a total lass, according to Fire Chief Leif Sackett.
By Thursday morning, Colorado River Fire Rescue officials said the fire – which had been mapped at 10 acres in size – was contained and evacuations in the area had “largely been lifted.”
“Two apartment buildings remained under evacuation overnight; however, as of this morning, all residents except those displaced in the fire-damaged apartment building have been allowed to return to their residences,” fire officials said in a news release Thursday.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) Fire Investigation Team has been requested to assist in determining the origin and cause of the fire.
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