Update 8:45 p.m.: The Interlaken fire burning near Twin Lakes Reservoir south of Leadville grew to 443 acres on Wednesday with no containment, the U.S. Forest Service said in a news release.
The fire was started by an abandoned campfire about 60 yards from the Interlaken trail and 1.5 miles from the trailhead, fire officials said in a post on Facebook.
Fire investigators believe the campfire was not property extinguished and was burning for several days before it sparked the wildfire on Tuesday.
Four helicopters, at least one air tanker and 135 fire personnel are currently fighting the fire, agency officials said Wednesday afternoon.
The fire is burning in timber and heavy dead and down fuel sources, and firefighters are working to protect private property, historic structures at Interlaken, Canada lynx habitat and utility infrastructure.
No historic structures were burned as of 11 a.m.
Camping is currently prohibited on the east side of Twin Lakes and around the Interlaken trailhead. The Willis Gulch, Interlaken and Sheep Gulch trails are closed, as are the Colorado Trail segments in the Twin Lakes area, according to forest service officials.
Original story: A wildfire burning in the Interlaken Historic District near Twin Lakes — a popular hiking and camping destination about 22 miles southwest of Leadville — grew to 413 acres and prompted evacuation and pre-evacuation orders Wednesday.
The Interlaken fire grew from 164 acres Tuesday evening to 413 acres by 11:18 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Bureau of Land Management’s wildfire information system.
The fire was discovered at 1:44 p.m. Tuesday and is believed to be human-caused, according to the agency.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office issued evacuation orders for Interlaken and County Road 25 and pre-evacuation orders for Lost Canyon Road from County Road 30 down to Balltown, a small residential area on the east side of Twin Lakes on Tuesday afternoon.
Although pre-evacuation orders initially were lifted about 9:15 p.m. Tuesday, the sheriff’s office reissued the notice for Lost Canyon “until further notice” at 7:34 a.m. Wednesday.
Resources from the sheriff’s office, Leadville Lake County Fire Rescue, Lake County Search & Rescue, Vail Fire & Emergency Services, Chaffee County Fire Protection District, Red White & Blue Fire District, Summit Fire & EMS District, the U.S. Forest Service and St. Vincent Health’s Ambulance Service responded to the blaze Tuesday.
The fire is burning on U.S. Forest Service land, so fire suppression responsibilities have been turned over to the forest service, the sheriff’s office said Tuesday.
The Interlaken Historic District buildings are not threatened at this time, the sheriff’s office said Tuesday. Fire workers are on-site in the historic district to help protect the structures.
Hikers and campers in the area of the fire were evacuated by the sheriff’s office and search and rescue workers.
The state Department of Public Health and Environment officials issued an air-quality health advisory for wildfire smoke in southern Lake and northern Chaffee counties on Wednesday morning.
Locations affected by the smoke include, but are not limited to, Twin Lakes, Granite, Americus and Buena Vista.
“Heavy smoke has been observed Wednesday morning near the Interlaken Fire in the Twin Lakes area, with smoke also extending southward along (Colorado 24) and the Arkansas River into Americus and Buena Vista,” state officials said in the advisory.
The advisory lasts until 9 a.m. Thursday.
In areas with thick or thickening smoke, residents should remain indoors — especially people with heart disease or respiratory illnesses, as well as the very young and older adults, officials said. People should limit activity outside when smoke is present and consider relocating temporarily.
If the smoke lessens visibility to five miles or less, the air quality has reached unhealthy levels, state officials said.
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Originally Published: June 12, 2024 at 9:43 a.m.
