Ash drops visibility in Colorado county as winds hit 28K-acre wildfire
A wildfire that started in the Oklahoma panhandle and crossed the border into southeast Colorado has reached more than 28,000 acres, per a report from WatchDuty.
Dubbed the Sharpe Fire, the blaze started on May 15 and while rapid growth prompted mandatory evacuations for the Colorado town of Campo that have since been lifted, those in Baca County are now being warned that visibility is rapidly decreasing due to wind-blown ash and dust in the air (announcement made at 1:18 p.m. on May 18). As a result, those in the area have been told to proceed with caution when traveling and to avoid the general area as conditions persist.
Per the latest update on the blaze (9:16 a.m. on May 18), a fire line constructed around Campo held well overnight with spotters on scene to monitor the line and manage flare-ups. Roughly 18,000 of the 28,000 acres of the fire are located in Colorado.
While there are no current evacuation orders, winds are expected to be bad again on Monday, thus the situation is subject to rapid change.
The best place to find updates related to this fire is the Baca County Emergency Management Facebook page, as well as Watch Duty.
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