FORT CARSON, COLO. -- Fort Carson officials said two wildfires are burning at the Pinon Canyon maneuver site (PCMS), which is land belonging to Fort Carson.
Officials discovered the first fire Tuesday morning. That fire is approximately 4,000 acres on PCMS and U.S. Forest Service land in Las Animas County, and has been called the Callie Marie fire.
The second fire is burning about 15 miles west of the Callie Marie fire and is burning between 19,000-23,000 acres. That fire has been named the Bear Springs fire.
Officials said both fires are likely the result of lightning strikes.
"It's going to be pretty intense, [the plants] have had a lot of moisture over the last years," Mike Orr, Deputy Chief with Fort Carson Fire & Emergency Management, said. "They're a lot of taller, and the stuff that hasn't been treated is going to be an issue."
There are 14 engine companies, one road grader, one dozer, several hand crews, several heavy air tankers, one helicopter and several single-engine air tankers fighting the fires. Crews said the terrain in the area is hard to reach.
Neither fire is contained, and crews said they don't have any containment estimates as of Wednesday.
A small subdivision bordering the training area has been evacuated. Crews are using aircrafts to protect the home closest to the fire.
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