Poitry Canyon Fire burns 676 acres northwest of Kim, cause under investigation

A new wildfire northwest of Kim raced to 676 acres on April 24, putting ranchland, county roads and isolated homes on alert even as officials said no injuries or evacuation orders had been reported.

The Poitry Canyon Fire was burning in a rural stretch of Las Animas County where open grassland and long response times can turn a small ignition into a fast-moving emergency. By the time of the update, the fire had already spread across 676 acres, a reminder of how quickly conditions can change in a county that spans wide distances between homes, ranches and town services.

The National Weather Service in Pueblo had a Red Flag Warning in effect for western Las Animas County that day, with southwest winds of 15 to 25 mph and gusts up to 45 mph. Relative humidity was forecast as low as 7 percent, the kind of dry air and wind combination that officials warn can make fires catch and spread rapidly and erratically.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation. That left residents with the basic question that matters most in a place like Kim and the surrounding ranch country: whether the blaze started naturally, by accident or through human activity. With no evacuation orders in place yet, the immediate concern shifted to watching the fire’s edge, monitoring winds and being ready if conditions changed.

Las Animas County, founded in 1866, had a population of 14,555 in the 2020 census, and Kim had just 63 residents, according to census data. In a county that sparse, even a fire a few miles out can affect daily routines quickly, from moving livestock and checking fences to deciding whether to travel a county road or wait for the wind to ease.

The Pueblo Interagency Dispatch Center, which serves as the reporting hub for fires in the Pike-San Isabel National Forests and Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands, directs the public to report fires by calling 719-553-1600 or 911. Las Animas County also posts Stage II Fire Restriction information on its official website, underscoring how quickly fire danger can escalate when weather and fuel conditions line up.

The county has dealt with similar grassfire scares near Kim before. KOAA reported a 2,200-acre fire east of Kim in April 2025 that was eventually fully contained, and another fire near the Baca and Las Animas county line in 2024 burned about 10 miles northeast of Kim before being contained. The new Poitry Canyon Fire added another reminder that in southeastern Colorado, a small ignition can become a large problem in a matter of hours.