Grass wildfire near Franktown at Dahlberg and Lake Gulch prompts mandatory evacuations

A fast-moving grass wildfire ignited near Dahlberg Road and Lake Gulch Road south of Franktown on Tuesday afternoon, prompting the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office to issue mandatory evacuations and Franktown Fire to set up an evacuation center at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, officials said.

Franktown Fire officials first reported the blaze burning on 5 acres of “light flashy fuels” just before 1 p.m., according to Denver Post reporting. KOAA’s coverage later described the incident as a 50-acre grass fire; neither outlet provided a reconciled final acreage or containment status for the incident as of the last reports.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office issued evacuation orders around 1:10 p.m. directing residents to leave the area bounded by Lake Gulch Road to Greenland Road and Dahlberg Road to Highway 83. Deborah Takahara, public information officer with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, said the evacuation zone was “sparsely populated” and that “A handful of homes are impacted by the evacuation order.”

An evacuation center was established at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Franktown, Franktown Fire and 9NEWS reported. Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed that Castlewood Canyon State Park was not impacted by the fire; KOAA placed the blaze roughly 3.5 miles south of Castlewood Canyon State Park, while Denver Post described the area as roughly 8 miles south of Franktown and 8 miles east of Larkspur.

In addition to the wildfire response, KOAA reported a separate crash on Highway 83 near Park Drive that partially closed Colorado 83, creating added travel disruptions for crews and residents leaving the evacuation zone. Authorities have not released a consolidated list of road closures beyond the KOAA report of the partial closure on Highway 83.

Weather conditions were cited in Denver Post coverage as part of the day’s wildfire risk context, noting forecasts for damaging winds and near-record temperatures on the Front Range that day; coverage did not attribute the ignition to those weather factors. Local officials have not issued updated acreage figures, containment percentages, or damage assessments in the reports reviewed.

As of the latest reported dispatches, the incident remained under active response by Franktown Fire and Douglas County officials, with mandatory evacuation boundaries in effect and shelter operations at the Fairgrounds. Authorities have not confirmed final acreage, containment, or whether any structures were damaged.