A wind-whipped wildfire west of Colorado Springs, burning in Park County and Teller County south of Florissant, had spread across more than 1,205 acres in rough terrain Friday afternoon, forcing evacuations of 100 homes and putting others on notice.

The U.S. Forest Service took over efforts to try to suppress this 403 fire before dawn Friday and flames were flaring in forests in addition to meadows, authorities said. Helicopters dropped water on flames Thursday.

Winds around 30 mph, and gusting to 52 mph, fueled the fire Friday. The temperature in the area reached about 38 degrees.

“We’ve got wind gusts at up to 52 miles per hour today. It will probably be difficult to get any air support today due to the wind. It’s going to be old-fashioned ground crews doing what they can in the face of winds up to 52 mph,” Teller County Sheriff’s Lt. Wes Walter told the Denver Post around 10 a.m.

“We’re seeing smoke. Now the winds have picked up. We’re starting to see the fire pick back up again,” Walter said.

Local, state and federal resources have been working to suppress the fire. Windy conditions were a factor in the fire’s growth and direction, fire officials said. Air support on the fire was ordered on Friday, but extreme wind conditions grounded the operations.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment issued an air quality alert, warning of smoke from the fire, wafting northeastward, and advised residents of Park and Teller counties to stay indoors if smoke becomes thick.

Firefighters worked through the night trying to contain flames burning in dry grass and spreading into trees, but heavy wind, gusting at speeds up to 40 miles per hour, complicated fire suppression.

The authorities classified the fire as “human-caused,” saying it started on private land along Park County Road 403, southwest of the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. It was burning in both Park and Teller counties Friday morning.

Most of the evacuated homes are in Teller County, including the Wilson Lake and Forest Glenn subdivisions. Residents in areas including the Las Brisas and La Montana Mesa subdivisions were being advised to be ready to evacuate if necessary, authorities said.

No buildings had burned, they said, and no injuries were reported.