Lightning-caused wildfire near Devils Head triggers evacuation warning, then containment

Douglas County officials lifted a three-mile evacuation warning Saturday evening for the Log Jumper Fire near Devils Head Recreation Area after crews stopped the blaze’s forward progress. The warning covered residents and recreation users near Jackson Creek Road and Rampart Range Road, about 15 miles southwest of Castle Rock.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said the fire was burning in a sparsely populated area west of Castle Rock. Officials had issued the warning shortly before 6 p.m. on June 20 for a three-mile radius that included Devils Head Recreation Area, then lifted it later that evening after conditions improved and the fire no longer threatened to spread.

The U.S. Forest Service said the fire was lightning-caused and had burned about 1 acre off Log Jumper Trail near Jackson Creek Road and Rampart Range Road. Crews included two U.S. Forest Service engines, one West Douglas County Fire Protection District engine, one Type 3 helicopter with Monument Helitack, and one Type 2 helicopter with Douglas County. Fire officials said the blaze was 80% contained by early evening on June 20.

A road closure was also in effect at South Platte River Road and South County Highway 67 while crews worked the fire. By the morning of June 22, officials said the Log Jumper Fire was 100% contained and controlled.

The response landed in an area where wildfire warnings carry extra weight for Douglas County. Devils Head Recreation Area sits in the wildland-urban interface, where dry conditions, lightning, and fast-moving fire can threaten homes, roads, and access to recreation areas in a matter of hours. The brief warning and quick containment showed how fast county crews can move when a small ignition appears near the foothills west of Castle Rock.