A wildfire that started in Oklahoma has pushed to the north and the entire town of Campo in southeastern Colorado is under a mandatory evacuation, Baca County officials warned Sunday afternoon.
The fast-moving Sharpe fire ignited Friday night in Cimarron County in the Oklahoma Panhandle, and the Baca County Emergency Management office said the fire is an “active threat to life and property do not wait. Check on neighbors. Call 911 only for life threatening emergencies.”
The Sharpe fire exploded from roughly 3,500 acres to more than 10,000 acres in about six hours, officials said Sunday. Wind gusts have reached more than 35 mph in the area.
Campo has a population of about 60 people, and Baca County is home to roughly 3,300 residents. An evacuation center has been set up in Springfield.
A 77-mile stretch of U.S. 287 is closed from the Oklahoma stateline, about 8 miles south of the Campo area, to U.S. 50 in Lamar, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said the Oklahoma Forestry Services has activated air support for the Sharpe fire to support ground crews. Dry thunderstorms in recent days have ignited numerous wildfires in the Panhandle and far northwestern Oklahoma, the agency said, and more than 60,000 acres have burned.
The entire Oklahoma Panhandle is under extreme drought conditions. The Ballard fire started to the east of the Sharpe fire. The Ballard fire also has moved north into Colorado and is not threatening any towns. It has burned more than 18,000 acres but is about 65% contained, as of Sunday afternoon the OFS said.
Dangerous fire weather conditions are expected to spread Monday across areas along the Colorado-New Mexico border, according to the National Weather Service office in Pueblo. “Humidity values 5-10% will combine with southwest winds gusting to near 50 mph will produce dangerous conditions, especially over Baca County,” the Pueblo office forecast Sunday afternoon. A cold front is expected to reach the area Monday night into Tuesday.
This is a developing story that will be updated.