Evacuations were ordered Thursday because of a grass fire between the Colorado Springs Airport and Schriever Space Force Base.
The evacuation order for the Meridian fire will be lifted at 9:30 p.m. Thursday night as fire crews gained 70% containment, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office announced.
The fire is now estimated to be 2,500 acres, down from the over 3,000 it encompassed earlier in the day, according to the office. Smoky air and some flame in hot spots will remain throughout the evening.
The Red Cross shelters will close once the evacuation order is lifted, the office added, though they advised residents not to return to the area if they do not feel comfortable. Colorado Highway 94 will also reopen at 9:30 p.m.
Law enforcement and fire resources will remain on the scene throughout the night.
The grass fire east of Colorado Springs near Schriever Space Force Base swept across more than 3,000 acres (revised down from an initial 4,000-acre estimate) of rolling prairie grass Thursday, forcing area residents to evacuate.
The 3,000-acre extent was reported by the El Paso County Sheriff's Office as of 6 p.m.
The fire started about 1 p.m. and has officially been named the Meridian fire, according to the Colorado Springs Fire Department. It reportedly started southeast of the South Meridian Road and Drennan Road intersection.
The fire initially triggered mandatory evacuations for an unknown number of area residents. The sheriff's department said the mandatory evacuations were downgraded to voluntary evacuations, as part of its 6 p.m. update.
The initial evacuation zone included homes along Gusty Bluffs Point and Meridian Road to the south of Hwy. 94 and Franceville Coal Mine Road, and east to the border of the Schriever Space Force Base. Additional evacuation orders were given for some residents north of Hwy. 94 as well, between North Blaney Road to South Peyton Highway too.
The fire also closed Hwy. 94 between Marksheffel and Curtis roads at 3:20 p.m.
Wildfires Watchers predicting a 'normal' 2025 fire season for Colorado, but drought may increase risk Savannah Eller [email protected]
Schriever Space Force Base sent home all non-mission essential personnel and closed its west gate, said Steve Brady, who oversees community engagement and command information. The 24/7 missions at the base such as GPS operations were not impacted.
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The fire had not crossed Curtis Road around 4 p.m. And Brady said he was optimistic that the base would not be threatened.
"We are closely monitoring the situation," he said.
Three firefighters and one firetruck from the Schriever Fire Department responded to the scene through a mutual aid agreement, according to a news release from Schriever Space Force Base shortly before 5 p.m.
Schriever's north gate remained closed to allow for emergency response actions.
Base residents were notified that evacuation was not required. Officials said Schriever was not under threat from the fire late in the afternoon.
Colorado Springs Airport officials late Thursday afternoon said access to the airport and flight schedules had not been affected by the Meridian fire.
Unconfirmed scanner information placed the fire originating in the 4100 block of Hammer Ranch Road, to the east of Meridian. Officials have not listed a potential cause of the fire, or confirmed the origin point.
Firefighters from Ellicott and Yoder were seen on-scene assisting with the blaze.
El Paso County and other parts of southeastern Colorado are under a red flag warning because of high fire danger, according to the National Weather Service in Pueblo. Westerly winds 35 to 45 mph with gusts up to 65 mph are expected. The forecast high Thursday for Colorado Springs is 65 degrees, more than 10 degrees above average, according to Gazette news partner KOAA and the National Weather Service.
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