Authorities battling the Willow Fire near Leadville, Colorado, issued new evacuation and pre-evacuation orders after the fire expanded by nearly 1,000 acres in 24 hours. The latest evacuation impacts Halfmoon Road, a vital access point for camping areas and the Mount Massive trailhead.
Nick Castro from the Southwest Area Complex Incident Management Team, who is leading the firefighting efforts, showed a map of the blaze in a Saturday video update. By Sunday morning, the fire area had increased by approximately 900 acres.
On Saturday, fire crews focused on establishing Halfmoon Road as a containment line. Their strategy involved controlled burns and aerial slurry drops. Castro explained they aimed to use the terrain’s natural features to direct the southwest side of the fire toward higher elevations with less fuel.
“The southern boundary posed an ‘area of concern,’” Castro stated, citing “historic dryness” and “record-setting low fuel moistures.”
By Sunday morning, mandatory evacuation covered not only Halfmoon Road but also Lake Fork Trailer Park. Lake County Sheriff Heath Speckman reported on social media that the fire expanded by about 900 acres overnight. Additional warnings affected areas including the northern Twin Lakes and eastern State Highway 82 from Independence Pass, nearing Chaffee County.
Shelters for evacuees were arranged at Buena Vista Public Safety Complex and Battle Mountain High School. Meanwhile, Leadville Regional Airport remained closed to non-emergency traffic. The Willow Fire, igniting on June 28 in the Twin Mounds between Mount Massive and Leadville, now spans 3,957 acres with only 1% containment. The cause remains unknown.
Volunteers have been active, distributing donations to residents affected by the wildfire evacuations.