A pair of wildfires ignited in Pueblo County this last week, but were quickly controlled.
Monday a pair of vacant structures that caught on fire caused a 2–3 acre wildland fire in Beulah. The fire took place in the 8700 block of Pine Drive.
An evacuation order was issued for anyone within a half-mile radius of the fire and the Grand View Church, 8326 CO-78, was designated as an evacuation center. That order was quickly lifted by 7:25 a.m. on Tuesday. Pueblo District 70’s Beulah K-8 was closed Tuesday even thoough the fire was contained by early morning.
An earlier fire was reported Sunday afternoon in northwest Pueblo near the Arkansas River. That far grew to over 25 acres forcing the evacuation of PAWS for life and a pre-evacuation notice was issued for nearby homes. No structures caught on fire.
The fire was spreading within brush and trees on both sides of the Arkansas River near W 11th St. The Pueblo Police Department also evacuated City Park and Aberdeen Park. The smoke from the fire could be seen as far as Lake Pueblo.
PAWS For Life staff evacuated dozens of animals from the facility at 800 N. Pueblo Boulevard and moved them to the Pueblo State Fairgrounds. The animals have been returned to the facility.
"Pueblo is known to be the home of heroes, and they showed it, and we appreciate that," said an emotional Volunteer, Kim Alfonso. Alfonso referred to the number of community members who aided PAWS by trans porting animals and donating supplies.
The Red Cross briefly opened an evacuation center open at Goodnight Elementary (624 Windy Way) for anyone impacted by the fire.