Second small fire sparks in Custer County

(CUSTER COUNTY, Colo.) — A second fire is burning in Custer County west of the Oak Ridge Fire on the Custer and Pueblo County line.

According to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), the new fire, named the Lead Mountain Fire, remains small, around 0.1 of an acre, or around a 20 foot by 20 foot area. It is burning about 15 miles east/northeast of Westcliffe in a remote area of forest in Hardscrabble Canyon, north of Highway 96.

The USFS said the fire is currently smoldering in dead and downed fuels in a mixed conifer forest. Due to the remote location, crews will likely not make it to the fire location Friday night, however a helicopter is responding to perform bucket drops and slow the spread of the fire.

The Custer County Sheriff’s Office is urging locals to sign up for Everbridge alerts , so they can be notified as soon as information needs to be disseminated to the area.

The USFS did not specify whether the cause of the fire has been determined.

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