A new fire sparked Thursday in eastern El Paso County, prompting a brief period of evacuations for nearby residents, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Big Springs fire had consumed roughly 80 acres near 31415 Big Springs Road — north of Yoder and about 35 miles east of Colorado Springs — as of 12:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. At that time, the flames were spreading southwest.
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for residents in an area bordered to the north by Big Springs Road, to the south by Colorado 94, to the west by Calhan Highway and to the east by Lauppe Road.
As of 1 p.m. Thursday, the area had been downgraded to pre-evacuation status, according to an update from the sheriff’s office.
“Residents in the area may remain in their homes — but be on alert,” sheriff’s officials wrote on social media.
Additional information about the fire, including the cause, was not immediately available Thursday.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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