High temperatures, clear skies and increased winds are stoking fire behavior from the Junkins Fire west of Pueblo, say fire officials.
The fire has scorched 17,809 acres and burned 8 homes and 19 outbuildings. But only one of the homes is a primary residence, say officials.
The fire is 39 percent contained as of Saturday morning and the Pueblo Sheriff’s Office and the Great Basin Incident Team are now allowing the remaining county residents evacuated since Monday back into their homes.
But the number of fire personnel and equipment needed to suppress the fire has “significantly increased” to 722. About 524 personnel were assigned to the fire on Friday.
The area is under a Red Flag Weather Warning as more smoke from the fire is covering local roadways and surrounding communities. Officials say that early Saturday a weather inversion pushed smoke down into the valleys like a thick fog, making driving especially dangerous.
Evacuations are still in effect in some areas of Custer County.
Firefighters are using a combination of tactics to contain and suppress the fire including multiple 20-person hand crews to dig fire lines and clear vegetation to construct containment lines.
Helicopters will also be dropping water in areas where the fire is most active.
