Spring Fire Nears 107,000 Acres; Hwy 160 Reopened Briefly

COSTILLA COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - Firefighters battling the Spring Fire in Costilla County say it has grown to nearly 107,000 acres, but containment is also up to 43 percent.

Officials said Saturday morning "crews are now working to complete containment, and to mop up and repair areas impacted by fire suppression actions."

They believe fire behavior should be low, but fuels are drying prompting the risk of spotting.

Residents should be aware of low air quality as they return home and of some flames and smoke visible within the fire perimeter.

Highway 160 opened at 2 p.m. in both directions, but closed about 45 minutes later because the fire north of the highway moved south and threatened the road. Stopping, parking or standing outside of vehicles is not allowed. Highway 12 is closed from mile markers 7 to 22.5. Highway 69 is closed from mile markers 5 to 42, but is open to local traffic only.

There is a daily 1 p.m. meeting for evacuees held at the evacuation center located at the Blanca/Ft Garland Community Center, 17591 E Hwy 160. The meetings will be live streamed on Facebook for those who cannot attend.

Amidst the devastation, some firefighters from Denver at the Spring Fire helped reunite a pet with her owner.

They say crews found Lulu running loose through the burn area. They got ahold of her and reunited her with her owner, Audrey, who is understandably very happy.

Additional Resources

Evacuee information can be found at both the Huerfano County OEM Facebook page, the Las Animas County OEM Facebook page or the San Luis Valley website.

Wildfire Resources

- Visit CBSDenver.com's Colorado Wildfire section.

Wildfire Photo Galleries

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