Oak Ridge Fire Near Beulah 25% Contained, More Than 800 Firefighters Battling Blaze

DENVER — Containment of the Oak Ridge Fire raging near Beulah has reached double digits since the blaze was first reported late last month.

As of Thursday morning, the Oak Ridge Fire was 25 percent contained and remained at 1,191 acres, according to Casey Cheesbrough, commander of the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 3. A total of 829 firefighters are currently battling the blaze.

The lightning-sparked fire was reported June 22 and is burning three miles northwest of Beulah in southern Colorado.

Fire officials said at a community meeting Tuesday night that they were working to assess the need for what they called “strategic fire operations” on parts of the blaze, which would cause it to grow to nearly 7,000 acres.

That assessment continued Thursday as firefighters worked to build strategic lines to protect at-risk areas, including Beulah and the Middle Creek watershed.

Winds are expected to shift from northwest to southeast and peak in the late afternoon with gusts up to 25 mph.

Residents of Middle Creek Canyon Road, Vine Mesa, Cascade Avenue, Pine Avenue and Beulah Highlands Road are under a pre-evacuation order and should be prepared to leave at a moment's notice. For full evacuation information, click here.

For more information about the Oak Ridge Fire, call 719-315-1536 or email [email protected].

Denver 7+ Colorado News Latest News | July 4, 11am