Fort Carson officials are saying a fire started around 1 pm has burned 10 acres behind Patriot Elementary School, causing an evacuation.
Officials said the Sam Houston Loop within the Dakota Ridge housing area was under a pre-evacuation notice. Patriot Elementary School did not have to evacuate students as the school is on Spring break.
The Cheyenne Mountain Child Development Center and Patriot School Age Services are currently being evacuated to the youth center, Fort Carson said.
Gate 1 is currently closed to inbound traffic, and outbound is open to emergency vehicles only.
The Colorado Department of transportation posted in a road closures map online that CO 115 between Pine Oaks Road and Cheyenne Meadows Road is closed due to fire activity. Roadway footage shows visible smoke from the area.
The Colorado Springs Fire Department, Cimarron Hills, Security, Fountain, Monument and Stratmoor Hills fire departments all responded to assist with the fire Thursday afternoon.
The CSFD posted on X that the fire was producing “a lot of smoke that is visible for most of the city.” The post said the fire was not in city limits.
According to a CSFD spokesperson, the call went out around 1:30 pm and the department sent 2 brush trucks, one wildlands crew and a battalion chief.
It is unknown at this time whether the fire is tied to intermittent prescribed burns set to take place at Fort Carson this week until April 15.
