A wind-driven wildfire southeast of Colorado Springs rapidly grew to 4,000 square acres Wednesday evening, prompting an evacuation order.
The Hammer fire sparked about 4 p.m. and was burning near the unincorporated community of Hanover, roughly 7 miles southeast of Fountain.
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office has issued an evacuation order for Hammer Road east to South Peyton Highway and Myers Road north to Squirrel Creek, according to the Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management.
A pre-evacuation order was issued for Hammer Road east to South Peyton Road and Squirrel Creek Road north to Clements.
No containment was reported as of 8:30 p.m., the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control dashboard showed.
The forecast in El Paso County called for breezy conditions through the evening, with a southwest wind 15 to 20 mph becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph.
The fire came amid a rare fire weather alert from the National Weather Service, warning both rural and urban residents in south central and southeastern Colorado of 60-mph wind gusts and extremely dry conditions Wednesday that pose a “significant threat to life and property.”
The conditions began about 10 a.m. Wednesday and were expected to last until midnight, though the period of highest risk was forecast between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.