After nearly 900 firefighters rushed to wrestle the Decker fire, crews managed to contain 14% of the blaze by Tuesday morning, authorities said.

Since the wildfire was sparked by lightning Sept. 8, the blaze has grown to 6,482 acres and is now burning 2 miles south of Salida, a Chaffee County city of 5,200 people. Crews started Monday with 5% containment.

Aerial fighting crews dropped buckets of water over the blaze Monday, helping to contain the north side of the fire, according to an update from the Rocky Mountain Incident Management team. Ten hand crews, 29 fire engines, three dozers and 10 water tenders also tackled the blaze that continues to grow across the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness.

Gusty winds near 40 mph fueled the fire Monday, causing it to grow about 150 acres overnight, the release stated. Similar conditions Tuesday could prevent crews from successfully dousing any flames.

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning from noon Tuesday to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Strong winds, low humidity and high temperatures could allow for fires to ignite easily and spread quickly.

Firefighters hope to continue to extinguish smoldering material along the Decker fire’s edge by clearing sides of the fire line of rotten logs, stumps, singed brush and low-hanging tree-limbs, the release stated.

Fremont County Sheriff’s Office lifted pre-evacuation orders for Swissvale and Wellsville on Monday, according to a post on its Facebook page. Authorities are assessing a timeline as to when others may return to their homes.