Firefighters respond to a forest fire in Bear Creek Park southwest of Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Colorado Springs Fire Department said the Bear Creek fire in the southwestern city of the city was 50% under control around 8 p.m. Thursday.

The CSPFD provided another update Thursday evening at 8 p.m. on the state of the fire:

On Thursday night, the Bear Creek fire is 23 acres, updated from the theft that occurred at 5:30 p.m. In addition, all evacuees in the region can return home.

CSFD crews said the helicopters were capable of dropping about 8,000 gallons of water on hot spots, in addition to flame retardants. Fire crews are expected to work their way through the fire to extinguish more points on the ground throughout the night. Flight operations came to a standstill overnight.

CSFD chief Ted Collas reported at 4:30 p.m. that no structures had been lost and the area had been little damaged.

El Paso County firefighters and the US Forest Service also responded to the blaze.

Crystal Martin, who has lived on Electra Drive for 30 years, said the fire started in her backyard. She and her husband watched it spill over on video recorded by their doorbell camera.

“I was not aware of the fire until I heard sirens and saw fire trucks coming,” she said. “In less than five minutes, this fire was so fierce. The trees were exploding. Absolutely, we were afraid. We got out immediately. We had about five seconds to get out. All we could catch was our bird and what we had.

The cause of the fire was not determined Thursday evening.

Earlier

The Colorado Springs Fire Department was called to a bushfire near Bear Creek Park that threatened buildings on Thursday.

According to CSFD, the fire burned grass and brush, but the structures were threatened. Viewers reported seeing smoke in the S. 21st Street area west of Colorado Springs.

CSFD estimated the size of the fire to be around 8-10 acres at 2:15 p.m. and was 0% contained.

The Colorado Springs Police Department has issued an evacuation notice for people living in the 3000 Electra Drive area. Evacuees can meet at Cheyenne Mountain High School.

Here’s the Colorado Springs Police Department with an urgent message. Today is 11/19/2020. The fire department is working on a wild fire on Bear Creek Road and Gold Camp Road.

This is a MANDATORY EVACUATION notice. Leave the area immediately. A forest fire https://t.co/DemPa0pajA

– CSPD Communications (@CSPDComCenter) November 19, 2020

The CSPD also said North Cheyenne Canyon Park, Bear Creek Park and Red Rock Canyon are closed while crews fight the blaze.

Evacuees were invited to attend Cheyenne Mountain High School, where the Red Cross was available to assist them.

About 50 people attended and waited for a word to see if they could return home Thursday night, according to school spokeswoman Susan Payne.

At the moment, the cause of the fire is not known. Firefighters have yet to give an estimate of the size of the blaze.

We are working to obtain more information. Check back for updates.

#RUPTURE Grass fire is burning near Bear Creek Park in Colorado Springs and CSFD says some structures are at risk. pic.twitter.com/3OxADOLk6n

– Andrew McMillan (@AndyMackReports) November 19, 2020

Update #ElectraFire– Electra Dr is evacuated at this time. Nebula Ct evacuated. Please stay out of the area. We have several crews still responding to the fire #grassfire #ColoradoSpringsFire pic.twitter.com/3AVP4kVDmK

– CSFD PIO (@CSFDPIO) November 19, 2020