Here's how crews are battling the Oak Ridge Fire near Beulah

The Oak Ridge wildfire near Beulah nearly doubled in size Tuesday night, growing to 787 acres as crews continued to provide air and ground support.

Video from a state Multi-Mission Aircraft flight showed the fire burning intensely on the west end on Tuesday night, a direction that began earlier in the day when the fire grew to 495 acres.

The fire remained uncontained as of 10:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, said Jill Laca, public information officer for Beulah Protection and Ambulance District.

Crews expected a west and northwest progression of the fire on Wednesday, Laca said, particularly because of thunderstorms that were forecasted to produce gusty winds up to 45 to 65 miles per hour but with possible hail and brief heavy rain.

“What we’re most concerned about is the winds that come with those thunderstorms,” Laca said. “Generally, there’s not enough moisture in them to do us a lot of good in the fire suppression effort.”

The fire was first reported Saturday morning as a single tree burning approximately three miles northwest of Beulah. Officials on Tuesday said the fire was lightning caused.

After air and ground crews worked to suppress the fire over the weekend, it quickly expanded on Monday and Tuesday because of strong winds and high temperatures.

Residents in the Middle Creek Canyon area were ordered to evacuate on Monday. Residents on Vine Mesa, Cascade Avenue, Pine Avenue and Beulah Highlands Road remained under pre-evacuation notice on Wednesday morning.

An evacuation center is available at the Pueblo County Parks and Recreation Building, located at 1543 Cooper Place. Another is open is St. Charles Mesa Recreation Center at 1650 Cooper Place.

A shelter for livestock is at 4 Bar S, located at 6675 Highway 78.

Smoke and fire map:Oak Ridge Fire near Beulah forces evacuation

Here’s how crews are battling the fire

Casey Cheesbrough, incident commander of the Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 3, reported Wednesday morning that crews were working to construct direct and indirect fire lines along and away from the fire’s edge, with a “primary focus on structure protection.”

Firefighters place direct fire lines on the fire’s edge or perimeter so that the fuel between the line and fire burns out, according to Colorado Firecamp. It is generally used with low-intensity fires that allow firefighters to work close to them.

An indirect fire line is typically used when a fire has a high rate of spread and it's too dangerous for firefighters to be too close. So crews will create a line that’s a comfortable distance from the fire, which can help backfire the fuels from the fire itself.

Cheesbrough also noted that firefighters went direct on the eastern edge of the fire to keep it from advancing toward Beulah. Struction protection measures were in place and crews planned to set up hoselays and sprinkler systems to protect structures “at risk,” Cheesbrough wrote in his report.

Furthermore, firefighters continued to scout the fire’s perimeter to identify where they could construct an indirect fire line to ensure firefighter safety and protect the Beulah and North Creek communities and Middle Creek Canyon area.

Kathryn Abrahamson, public information officer of the Oak Ridge fire, told the Chieftain that crews were scouting the western edge of the fire and trying to determine where to place a fire line.

“Just the way that the terrain and fuels are in that area, they need to figure out where to put that line,” Abrahamson said. “That’s why it looks different than the activity on the eastern side (of the fire).”

Cheesbrough also wrote that fire could grow after a temperature inversion lifted Wednesday morning. Inversions often trap smoke in the bottom of valleys at night and in the morning before lifting when the sun rises, thus heating the earth’s surface. That heat then warms the air near the ground, according to the United States Forest Service.

Agencies issue notices related to fire

The Nature and Wildlife Discovery Center issued a temporary closure of Pueblo Mountain Park located in Beulah on Wednesday until “further notice.” The agency noted that the park is not in danger but that it made the decision to fully support the firefighting efforts.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on Wednesday morning issued an air quality health advisory for western Pueblo County and eastern Custer County. The department noted that winds could push wildfire smoke to dissipate in those areas. The advisory is active until Thursday morning.

Lucero on Tuesday urged non-Beulah residents to avoid traveling to the area to ensure roads are open for "firefighting efforts" and residents who may need to evacuate.

As of Wednesday afternoon, a temporary flight restriction was active over the fire area. Officials handling the fire asked people to not fly or operate drones in that area as doing so could impede efforts from air support.

The United States Forest Service issued a land, road and trail closure of the San Carlos Ranger District in the affected area to "maintain safe conditions for the public," as well as the hundreds of fire personnel working on the fire.

Chieftain reporter Josué Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @josuepwrites. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.