The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation order for a nearly 6-mile stretch north to south in Hanover on Wednesday evening.

The Hammer fire, located near Hammer Road and Hanover Road, stood at 4,200 acres as of 7 p.m., according to watchduty.org.

The evacuation order was in place for Hammer Road east to South Peyton Highway and Hanover Road north to Squirrel Creek Road.

There was also a pre-evacuation warning for the area from Hammer Road east to South Peyton Highway and Squirrel Creek Road north to Clements. The Sheriff’s Office encouraged residents who needed extra time or help to evacuate to do so.

According to El Paso County officials, an evacuation center has been opened at Hanover Jr/Sr High School, at 17050 S. Peyton Hwy. Hanover District 28 will be closed Thursday.

In a Facebook update posted around 7 p.m. Wednesday, the Hanover Fire Department reported that the fire behavior was rapidly changing and that they would work to continue suppression and strengthen containment lines. The department also reported that it had requested air resources, including an air attack plane, 2 single engine air tankers (SEATs) and a type 1 helicopter. Residents near Milne Road or Squirrel Creek Road should be “prepared to evacuate immediately if directed,” the post stated.

Many Hanover residents could be seen evacuating the area in their vehicles with their belongings and animals, with a few dozen waiting along South Peyton Highway at the edge of the evacuation order.

Floyd Rambeau has lived in Hanover for over 25 years and has never had to evacuate his home before Wednesday. He evacuated his property with his wife, his daughter, Erin Rambeau, friend Dave Lagenstein and more than a dozen animals.

Erin Rambeau and Lagenstein planned to sit out the evacuation order with their three cats, two dogs and 10 kittens in several boxes parked off the side of South Payton Highway at Squirrel Creek Road.

“The pets were most important,” Lagenstein said. “We grabbed them first.”

The Rambeau property has been under pre-evacuation orders before, but Wednesday was the first time they were forced to leave, nevertheless, with little notice. They left behind one cat who refused to evacuate and all of the homemade goods that Erin Rambeau makes for her online business.

Numerous fire vehicles, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office deputies and electrical repair trucks passed by the patiently waiting residents. Several evacuees drove by asking neighbors if they had animals in need of help, which is indicative of Hanover, Erin Rambeau said.

“It’s a huge community, we’re all like, ‘If you need help, let us know,'” Erin Rambeau said after someone driving offered help to those parked along the highway.