Las Animas County lifts Bear Fire evacuations as blaze reaches 150 acres
Evacuation orders for the Bear Fire were lifted, but residents near Piñon Canyon still faced flare-up risk, limited access and a tense wait to get home.
Residents in parts of eastern Las Animas County were finally allowed to go home Thursday, but officials made clear the Bear Fire had not become a finished problem. All evacuation orders were lifted at 6 p.m., with people north of County Road 78.9 near Bear Springs Road able to return earlier and those south of that line told to wait until evening.
The wildfire, which started June 10 near the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site, grew to about 148 to 150 acres and expanded its perimeter by another 30 acres before the day was out. County officials later said the fire was 60% contained, a sign of progress that still fell short of certainty for families watching smoke and wind around a remote stretch of the county. Officials said the fire was caused by lightning.
The early response drew nearly a dozen fire agencies into the fight, including the Hoehne Fire Protection District, the La Junta Fire Department, the Rocky Ford Fire Department and the Trinidad Fire Department. The Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control also sent resources as the fire spread, and air tankers and helicopters were deployed once it became clear the blaze was moving fast in dry, windy conditions across southeast Colorado.
Three structures were reported threatened early in the incident, underscoring how quickly a small ignition near the Army training site could turn into a community concern. The location near Piñon Canyon also carried wider consequences than a typical grass fire, since access routes, rural homes and nearby operations can all be affected when fire moves through that part of Las Animas County.
Even with evacuation orders lifted, county leaders still warned residents to stay ready in case conditions changed again. That caution fit a spring in which Las Animas County has already dealt with other significant fires, including the Poitrey Canyon fire and the Schwachheim fire. Those incidents, along with the Bear Fire, have kept emergency officials on alert across the county’s open country, where wind and drought can turn a lightning strike into a fast-moving threat in a matter of hours.
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