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700-Acre Wildfire Near Canon City Grows

CANON CITY, Colo. (AP/CBS4) — A wildfire sparked by lightning on Monday near Canon City has grown to about 700 acres, prompting requests for more firefighters.

A pre-evacuation order has been given to 16 residences in the Red Rocks Subdivision, specifically the residents on the west side of County Road 132 from mile marker five to mile marker 9.5. Residents are encouraged to be prepared to evacuate.

The Eightmile Fire grew to about a square mile Friday from 60 acres reported earlier.

Fire information officer Dusty Romero said fire managers on scene have requested at least an additional 80 firefighters.

Eightmile Fire
Copter4 flew over the Eightmile Fire burning near Canon City (credit: CBS)

"It's just got a lot of fuel. With the warmer temperatures and lower humidity the fire activity has increased," said Romero.

The fire is burning in very steep, rugged terrain on Bureau of Land Management land in Phantom Canyon. A helicopter and two single-engine air tankers were on standby.

"We do have one Type One helicopter and two single engine air tankers committed to the fire," said Romero. "It's very hot and dry and the winds are blowing pretty good and it is kicking up the smoke and stuff. They're saying you can see smoke from Canon City, Pueblo and even into Colorado Springs."

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Phantom Canyon road closure is closed from mile marker 4.5 to mile marker 12.

The fire is less active in the evening and is expected to continue to burn throughout the night. Smoke is likely to impact low-lying areas.

All the air attacks have ceased for the night. They will return to the air Saturday morning. There will be four engines patrolling the fire throughout the night.

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Wildfire Resources

- Visit CBSDenver.com's Wildfire Resources section.

Wildfire Photo Galleries

- See images from the most destructive wildfires (Black Forest, Waldo Canyon, High Park and Fourmile) and largest wildfire (Hayman) in Colorado history.

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