Poitrey Canyon Fire fully contained after burning 2,113 acres in Las Animas County

The Poitrey Canyon Fire is fully contained, but the 2,113 acres it burned northwest of Kim show how fast one ignition can turn into a countywide concern in Las Animas County.

The fire started Friday, April 24, on private property in Poitrey Canyon northwest of the Town of Kim, about 45 miles south of La Junta. By Saturday, April 25, Gov. Jared Polis verbally declared a disaster emergency, and the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control assumed management that evening at 8 p.m., signaling that the blaze had moved beyond a routine local response.

State emergency updates listed the fire at 2,113 acres on April 27, April 29 and May 1. Containment moved from 0% on April 27 to 45% by April 29 and May 1, then reached 100% on Monday, May 4. That pattern shows crews had already stopped the fire’s spread before the final containment line was completed, shifting the work from perimeter control to mop-up and monitoring.

For people near Kim, full containment does not mean the danger is gone overnight. Crews still need to check burn edges, watch for hot spots, and make sure wind or dry grass does not bring the fire back to life. In practical terms, that is the phase when roads, grazing land and other access areas can begin returning to normal, but only after responders are confident the fire will not flare again. In a rural part of the county where ranchland, dry grass and long response distances all matter, that follow-up can be just as important as the first attack.

Officials also said the blaze was believed to be human-caused, and dry, windy conditions helped drive its spread. That combination has kept fire anxiety high across southeast Colorado heading into the season, especially in places where one spark can quickly reach open ground.

Residents should keep an eye on updates from the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, the Colorado Governor Jared Polis Office, Las Animas County and the Kim Area Volunteer Fire Department and Ambulance Service. Those agencies will be the clearest source for any lingering restrictions, recovery steps or new fire-weather alerts as the county moves deeper into wildfire season.