Residents of about 1,000 houses in Evergeen were allowed to return home on Tuesday night after authorities announced they had turned the corner on a wildfire that was raging a day before.
Rain soaked the Elephant Butte Fire burn area for a second straight evening, prompting the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to lift its evacuation order for a large area near Evergreen Golf Course.
The 50-acre blaze was at 25% containment “and climbing” by midday Tuesday, the sheriff’s office announced.
The fire was raging on Monday night shortly after it was called in to authorities at about 3 p.m. Trees were fully engulfed and a smoke column was visible in Denver.
But by nightfall the fire had died down and it never really fully reignited into a raging inferno on Tuesday.
Authorities have not said what started the fire.