Fire Updates By Colorado Springs Fire Department For Bear Creek Fire

From the City of Colorado Springs:

November 19, 2020

The Colorado Springs Fire Department is working an active fire in and around Bear Creek Park near Electra drive. Gold camp road and High drive are closed.

Latest updates:

8:00 p.m. 11/19/20 press conference

All evacuations have been lifted in the area and homeowners may return home as of 8 p.m.Six engines with 24 firefighters will stay on scene overnight to mop up any remaining hot spots. Electra Drive remains closed to traffic, but all homeowners are allowed to return as of 8 p.m.100 CSFD firefighters and CSPD 90 police officers helped with evacuations. Thank you to the numerous partners helped extinguish the fire, backfill CSFD stations and provide other support to keep Colorado Springs safe today.Also, thank you to all of the homeowners who put in the mitigation work to help protect their homes. CSFDs slogan is “share the responsibility” and today’s event demonstrated that successful partnership.

4:30 p.m. 11/19/20 press conference

Bear Creek Fire Update 111920 430pm

Fifty percent contained. Crews are working the interior hot spots to reduce chances of flare ups this evening. Crews will continue working through the night so that if there is a flare up, there will be immediate resources at the scene.

235 homes evacuated. Most homes are north of Orion Drive, but also some on the south side.

• North of Buena Vista is still closed and roads north of that are closed.
• Bear Creek is closed
• Gold Camp Road is closed
• Vista Grande is closed and roads west of Vista Grande are closed.
• North Cheyenne Canon Closed
• Red Rock Canyon Open Space Closed
• Section 16 trail closed
• High Drive and Gold Camp Road closed

An update about evacuations is expected at 8 p.m. 11/19/20

Flyover at 5:30 p.m. to pinpoint hot spots and assess the size of the fire. This will help ground crews target hot spots more effectively.

• Seven water drops (about 8,000 gallons of water) onto hotspots on the fire.
• 800 gallons of fire retardant dropped to create a fire line at Bear Creek Road

Fire burned right up to fences and back yards of homes. Mitigation by homeowners and mitigation in open space kept the fire low to the grown and from getting into trees and higher and bigger fuels. Firefighters concentrated on structure protection. No structures have been lost.

Thank you to the following agencies:

• Colorado Springs Fire Department
• Colorado Springs Police Department
• Wildland team from Colorado Springs Utilities
• Pikes National Forest as USFS resources
• Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency ManagementThe City and County are consolidating their Offices of Emergency Management in an effort to optimize staff resources, establish a single point of contact during major incidences and enhance communication both during and after an event. The new office, the Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management (PPR-OEM) will support operations during a disaster or emergency in El Paso County and Colorado Springs.Because disaster knows no jurisdictional boundaries, we can most efficiently prepare for an emergency and respond to one by coordinating our efforts on a regional basis. The establishment of the PPR-OEM will allow the county and the city to more effectively coordinate and assist first responders in an emergency as well as preparing the government and the community for a disaster.
• Fort Carson Fire Department
• State of Colorado (provided air resources)

Provided firefighters to work at fire departments so Colorado Springs firefighters could respond to the Bear Creek Fire.

• Westcott Fire Department
• Tri lakes/Monument Fire Department
• Black Forest Fire Department
• Manitou Springs Fire Department
• Cimmeron Hills Fire Department
• Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station

2:30pm 11/19/20 press conference

Bear Creek Fire Update 111920 130pm

Helicopters working aerial surveillance. Chinook dropping water on the fire. Air tankers will drop retardant along Bear Creek Road.

Fire size 8 to 10 acres, zero percent contained, in close proximity to homes.

Residents asked to turn off sprinklers because it is reducing water pressure in the area making it difficult for fire fighters to get the water pressure they need from fire hydrants.

No structures lost.

235 homes evacuated.

PreEvac Areas Crystal Estate (Manitou Area). Large nursing homes in the area.

Evacuation Center at Cheyenne Mountain High School

Other agencies responding

• Colorado Springs Utilities wildfire team
• El Paso County fire team
• State of Colorado
• Pike National Forest and US National Forest Service
• Fort Carson
• Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management

1:20pm 11/19/20

Colorado Springs fire department asking all residents in the area of the #bearcreekfire to please not turn on the sprinkler systems it’s impacting our ability to have water pressure to fight the fire.

1:30 p.m. 11/19/20

North Cheyenne Cañon, Red Rock Canyon Open Space and the Section 16 trail are currently being evacuated, and Gold camp road and High drive are closed.

1:00 p.m. 11/19/20

Meeting place for residents established at Cheyenne Mountain High School.

#ElectraFire (link is external) CSFD has established a rally point for evacuated residents at Cheyenne Mountain High School. https://t.co/gLsblWASYD (link is external)
— CSPD Communications (@CSPDComCenter) November 19, 2020 (link is external)

21st Street is closed SB at Lower Gold Camp. NB at Argus. https://t.co/WKdln1JmHO (link is external)
— CSPD Communications (@CSPDComCenter) November 19, 2020 (link is external)

Update #ElectraDr (link is external) fire- Evacuated areas pic.twitter.com/pD8v6OrOHW (link is external)
— CSFD PIO (@CSFDPIO) November 19, 2020 (link is external)

Update #ElectraFire- All homes evacuated west of Vista Grande Dr. New evacuations ordered for Gold Camp Rd and Bear Creek Dr

Update #ElectraFire (link is external)- All homes evacuated west of Vista Grande Dr. New evacuations ordered for Gold Camp Rd and Bear Creek Dr pic.twitter.com/n6l3mewEDZ (link is external)
— CSFD PIO (@CSFDPIO) November 19, 2020 (link is external)

12:50p.m. 11/19/20

Update #ElectraFire- Electra Dr is evacuated at this time. Nebula Ct Evacuated. Please stay out of the area. We have multiple crews still responding into the fire #grassfire #ColoradoSpringsFire

Update #ElectraFire (link is external)- Electra Dr is evacuated at this time. Nebula Ct Evacuated. Please stay out of the area. We have multiple crews still responding into the fire #grassfire (link is external) #ColoradoSpringsFire (link is external) pic.twitter.com/3AVP4kVDmK (link is external)
— CSFD PIO (@CSFDPIO) November 19, 2020 (link is external)

All homes on Electoral Dr ordered to evacuate

#ColoradoSpringsFire (link is external) evacutions ordered on electoral Dr all homes to evacuate
— CSFD PIO (@CSFDPIO) November 19, 2020 (link is external)

This press release was produced by the City of Colorado Springs. The views expressed here are the author’s own.