A grassfire is burning in Colorado Springs in the area of Interquest Parkway and Interstate 25.
#ColoradoSpringsFire is responding to a #grassfire in the area of inter quest/I25. CSFD responding with smoke showing. Multiple units responding avoid the area. Details to follow.
— CSFD PIO (@CSFDPIO) April 22, 2022
The fire, driven by strong winds, is described as heavy, with a thick column of smoke, according to the Colorado Springs Fire Department. People are asked to avoid the area so firefighters can respond quickly and unimpeded.
Colorado Springs, along with widespread areas of northern Colorado including Denver, is under a red flag warning for fire concerns until 9 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. Winds are expected to gust up to 70 mph in some areas this afternoon and the relative humidity is at about 5%.
At about 1 p.m. in Colorado Springs, the temperature was 81 degrees with a wind gust of up to 46 mph, according to the weather service.
“Conditions will be favorable for extreme rates of fire growth and spread,” the weather service warns.
The story is developing and will be updated.
Wildfire map
Click markers for details, use buttons to change what wildfires are shown. Map data is automatically updated by government agencies and could lag real-time events. Incident types are numbered 1-5 — a type 1 incident is a large, complex wildfire affecting people and critical infrastructure, a type 5 incident is a small wildfire with few personnel involved. Find more information about incident types at the bottom of this page.
