The fire started on Sunday and jumped the highway due to high winds.
The Wild Horse Fire is burning near Colorado Springs and is now burning on the Fort Carson military base. The fire started on Sunday, October 11, near Highway 115 mile marker 33. When it sparked, it was on the west side of the road, approximately 10 miles south of Fort Carson Gate 1. About 50-mile-per-hour winds on Sunday caused the fire to jump the highway onto the base property, south of Gate 6.
The fire is currently burning on the military base, in a training area near Turkey Creek. As of Tuesday morning, the fire was at 10% containment and had burnt around 670 acres. Over 100 firefighters from at least 15 different fire agencies are working on the fire. So far, no structures have burned, and structure-protection methods have been employed.
Officials at Fort Carson said in a statement on Tuesday that they have set up a strong perimeter and have fire crews focusing on the hot spots. Currently, there is no danger to people or buildings on the base, and the situation is being monitored closely by officials.
The Colorado Springs Gazette shared a photo gallery of the fire this morning:
PHOTO GALLERY: The Wild Horse Fire on Highway 115 near Little Turkey Creek Road and on Fort Carson
— Pikes Peak Newspapers (@NewsPikesPeak) October 13, 2020
By @jerileebennet/@csgazette
https://t.co/YwoRYQBJXw via @csgazette
Highway 115 was shut down for several hours on Monday for helicopter support. The road is open, as of this writing.
Fort Carson is providing regular updates to fire fighting efforts on its social media. Another update will be provided today around 5 p.m.
Fort Carson is located in El Paso County near Colorado Springs and spans 137,000 acres.
