Tanker Fire Starts Large Brush Fire Off I-25 South Of Monument, Traffic Moving Slow
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - A tanker fire that spread to nearby brush near the Douglas- El Paso County line shut down all lanes of Interstate 25 on Wednesday afternoon.
The tanker was hauling jet fuel when something went wrong and it caught fire between Monument and Larkspur about 12:30 p.m. The fire from the tanker started a small brush fire. The brush fire was named "Greenland Open Space Fire" and had grown to 250 acres by 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The fire was about 90 percent contained by 3:30 p.m. No structures were endangered and there were no mandatory evacuations but some grazing lands were in jeopardy.
Copter4 flew over the fire which had burned right up to I-25 and in the brush beside the pavement. Winds at about 20 miles per hour fanned the flames.
The Douglas County Fairgrounds has opened for large animals like horses, cattle and llamas.
A private helicopter was making bucket drops from Rampart Range. Fire agencies from both El Paso and Douglas Counties were fighting the fire.
All lanes of a portion of I-25 were closed during the accident investigation and cleanup. Southbound lanes were closed at the Greenland exit.
The lanes were closed off and on again during the firefight. The Colorado State Patrol said all lanes were reopened by 3:30 p.m. There was a seven-mile backup of traffic on southbound I-25 by the time the lanes were reopened. It was expected to take a while for that traffic to ease and alternate routes were suggested.
After the initial fire, a black plume of smoke rising from the burning tanker could be seen for miles.
The driver of the tanker was not hurt. No other drivers or passengers were involved.
