24 FIRE UPDATE – 3/22 at 5:15pm: An important heads up as we head into the evening. See the smoke blowing from left to right looking north from Penrose. The firefighters are conducting a back burn on the south and eastern edge of the fire – using fire to fight fire. **Do not be alarmed if there is an increase in smoke or if you see flames.**
It’s called a back burn because they are setting fire along some natural or man-made breaks, like roads and then using the southeast wind to burn back toward the already burned areas. The goal is to burn up the available fuel so if the fire were to try and advance into these areas, there’s simply nothing left to burn, helping slow or even stop its spread.
As of this writing highway 115 remains closed and the evacuation and pre-evacuation areas remain in the place. The southern end of the fire is approximately three miles from the north end of Penrose, where a pre-evacuation is in place. Areas farther north, within a two mile radius of highway 115 and County Road F45 remain under an evacuation.
I hope this helps. My goal is to provide clear and detailed information.
Are you ready if an evacuation or pre-evacuation was issued for your area? Did you know Peak Alerts notify you of emergency situations that are a threat to life or property in El Paso and Teller Counties? Examples include natural or man-made disasters, hazardous materials incidents, missing persons, law enforcement activity impacting the public, evacuation notices, and more. Register at PeakAlerts.org.
