Colorado
Twin Forks fire closes U.S. 285 in Jefferson County, residents evacuated
Jefferson County residents along South Turkey Creek Road were evacuated for a wildfire that closed U.S. 285 in both directions on Sunday afternoon.
The Twin Forks fire was discovered around 1:57 p.m., according to the Bureau of Land Management’s fire information dashboard.
The fire was around 2 1/2 acres as of 3:30 p.m. with two helicopters dropping water along with 40 firefighters and 12 engines on scene, said Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Mark Techmeyer.
The fire is mostly burning in grass, shrubs and trees along the south side of U.S. 285 and North Turkey Creek Road.
Five homes were evacuated along South Turkey Creek Road but fire crews were not actively defending any structures, Techmeyer said. U.S. 285 is closed near Indian Hills as crews fight wildfire, but crews anticipate it will partially reopen within an hour.
The highway is closed between Surrey Drive and Summer Road, south of Morrison, the Colorado Department of Transportation said in a travel alert.
Wildland fire in #Jeffco along Hwy 285. Fire size is currently 3 acres and growing. Hwy 285 closed in both directions for fire suppression efforts. Two helicopters working the fire along with multiple ground crews. Door to door evacuations along S. Turkey Creek to Hwy 285. pic.twitter.com/omfLKR4EbA
— Jeffco Sheriff (@jeffcosheriffco) July 28, 2024
A screenshot of a traffic camera shared by Colorado State Patrol shows a plume of smoke near North Turkey Creek Road.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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