The lightning-sparked Oak Ridge fire, now burning on 1,190 acres of U.S. Forest Service land in Pueblo County, is 5% contained as of Monday morning.

Fire officials in a Monday morning update said the containment line is likely to hold west of Beulah but the containment percentage may decrease during strategic fire operations, according to the update.

Sparked by lightning on June 22, the fire, burning in the Pike-San Isabel National Forests, has spread relatively slowly over the past week but was 0% contained until Monday morning.On Saturday, the fire was burning on 1,156 acres of land and increased by 34 acres, about 26 football fields, by Monday. The fire’s estimated containment date is July 24, fire officials said.

Rain on Saturday night allowed fire officials to expand a fire line made of unburned fuel, helping control the wildfire’s spread, officials said in a Sunday update.

On Monday, firefighters will focus on fire prevention for cabins in Fairview Meadows, according to Oak Ridge fire spokesperson Matt Holte.

The fire is the first to burn in the area in over 100 years, forest officials said.

Mandatory evacuation orders for Middle Creek Canyon Road will be lifted as of noon Tuesday, the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office said Monday night. Residents will remain on per-evacuation status, and homes on Vine Mesa, Cascade Avenue, Pine Avenue and Beulah Highlands Road are still under pre-evacuation.

The Pike-San Isabel National Forests are shut down until July 26 from west and north of Colorado 78 to south of Forest Service Road 386, areas east of Colorado 165 to Forest Service Road 387, lands west of North Creek to Colorado 165, South Hardscrabble to Colorado 78.

Closed trails include South Creek, Second Mace, Second Mace Spur, Silver Circle, Left Hand, Squirrel Creek, Mountain Park, Coupler, Dome Rock and Middle Creek,according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Originally Published: July 1, 2024 at 10:33 a.m.