A wildfire burning on the south side of Twin Lakes grew to 413 acres Wednesday, doubling in size since it was ignited a day earlier, officials said.
Evacuation and pre-evacuation orders remained in place for the Interlaken fire, burning in a popular hiking and camping area about 12 miles south of Leadville.
The Lake County sheriff’s office issued an evacuation order to the Interlaken historic district, which is home to a once popular, now-abandoned mountain hotel, and all of County Road 25 on the south side of Twin Lakes. A pre-evacuation order was issued “until further notice” for Lost Canyon, as well as Balltown, a small residential area on the east side of Twin Lakes and County Road 30.
No dispersed camping is allowed on the east side of Twin Lakes and near the Interlaken trailhead, the U.S. Forest Service said in a social media post Wednesday afternoon. The Willis Gulch trailhead is also closed, along with Sheep Gulch trail, Colorado Trail segments in the Twin Lakes area and Forest Service Road 399.
Developed campgrounds are still open in the area.
“Public and firefighter safety is the priority as the fire burns in difficult terrain in a popular recreation area,” the USFS said.
Officials said to expect heavy traffic in the area as firefighters fight the fire.
On Wednesday, shortly before noon, the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office also issued a pre-evacuation warning for residents and those recreating between Clear Creek Reservoir to the Chaffee County-Lake County line.
The fire has not yet crossed into Chaffee County, government officials said in a social media post.
The fire is burning on U.S. Forest Service land, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday. Resources from Lake County Search and Rescue, Vail Fire and Emergency Services, Chaffee County Fire Protection District, Red White & Blue Fire, Summit Fire and the USFS worked to fight the flames Tuesday.
Lake County dispatchers received reports of the fire about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, the sheriff’s office said in a social media post. The cause of the fire remains unknown.
As of Tuesday evening, the officials said the Interlaken Historic District buildings were not threatened and that crews would remain at the site overnight to protect the buildings. Search and rescue teams helped hikers near the Interlaken trail get to safety by transporting them across the lake, the sheriff’s office said.
The Colorado Department of Health and Environment issued an air quality alert Wednesday morning for southern Lake County and northern Chaffee County, including Twin Lakes, Granite, Americus and Buena Vista.
“Heavy smoke has been observed Wednesday morning near the Interlaken fire in the Twin Lakes area, with smoke also extending southward along State Highway 24 and the Arkansas River into Americus and Buena Vista,” the advisory said.
“This smoke should diminish by late Wednesday morning as atmospheric mixing increases, however, heavy smoke may redevelop in these areas late Wednesday night into early Thursday morning.”
The advisory was put in place at 9 a.m. Wednesday and will last until 9 a.m. Thursday.
If the smoke becomes thick, officials advise residents to stay indoors, especially those who have heart disease, respiratory illnesses, as well as the very young and older adults.
If the smoke reduces visibility to five miles or less, the air quality has reached unhealthy levels, officials warned.
This is a developing story that will be updated.