Wildfire burning near Lake County's Twin Lakes prompts evacuations

Lina Portman4 weeks ago

0 2 minutes read

A small wildfire burns south of Twin Lakes in the Interlaken Historic District in Lake County on Wednesday, June 12, 2024.

A wildfire burning across 164 acres of land in historic Interlaken near Twin Lakes — a popular hiking and camping destination about 22 miles southwest of Leadville — triggered several evacuation orders Tuesday and pre-evacuation.

“Please evacuate the Interlaken area and County Road 25 as there is an active fire in the area,” the Lake County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday.

The Sheriff's Office issued several pre-evacuation orders for Lost Canyon Road, from County Road 30 to Balltown, a small residential area on the east side of Twin Lakes, around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Although the pre-evacuation orders were initially lifted Tuesday evening around 9:15 p.m., the Sheriff's Office reissued the pre-evacuation notice for Lost Canyon “until further notice” at 7:34 a.m. Wednesday.

Lake County Dispatch first received reports of a potential fire in the historic Interlaken neighborhood near Twin Lakes Colorado around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, the sheriff's office said in a statement posted on social media .

Resources from the Lake County Sheriff's Office, Leadville Lake County Fire Department, Lake County Search and Rescue, Vail Fire and Emergency Services, County Fire Protection District of Chaffee, Red White & Blue Fire District, Summit Fire & EMS District, United States Forest Service and St. Vincent Health Ambulance Service responded to the fire Tuesday.

The fire is burning on U.S. Forest Service land, so firefighting responsibilities have been turned over to the Forest Service, the sheriff's office said Tuesday.

As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, the fire burned 164 acres, about the size of 124 football fields.

Buildings in Interlaken's historic district are not currently under threat, the sheriff's office said Tuesday. Firefighters are on site in the historic district to ensure the protection of structures.

Hikers and campers in the fire area were evacuated by the Lake County Sheriff's Office and search and rescue personnel.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued an air quality health advisory for southern Lake and northern Chaffee counties Wednesday morning. The health advisory began at 9 a.m. Wednesday and will last until 9 a.m. Thursday.

Locations affected by smoke include, but are not limited to, Twin Lakes, Granite, Americus and Buena Vista.

“Heavy smoke was observed Wednesday morning near the Interlaken Fire in the Twin Lakes area, with smoke also extending south along State Highway 24 and the Arkansas River to Americus and Buena Vista,” state officials said in the notice.

In areas with heavy or thickening smoke, residents should stay indoors, especially people with heart or respiratory conditions, as well as the very young and older adults, officials said. People should limit outdoor activities when smoke is present and consider temporarily moving.

If smoke reduces visibility to five miles or less, air quality has reached unhealthy levels, state officials said.

Smoke is expected to diminish by late Wednesday morning as daytime mixing of the atmosphere intensifies and winds increase, but heavy smoke could develop again in the area late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, state officials said.

Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen newsletter.