'Aggressive' firefighting efforts Tuesday How crews plan to attack the Highland Lakes Fire
Oct 29, 2024
The Teller County Sheriff says Tuesday is going to be an aggressive fight to get the Highland Lakes fire under control because of the high fire danger. Other agencies from across the state are planning to join the firefighting efforts. That includes aircraft. Starting Tuesday morning, airdrops will be conducted to try to gain the upper hand first thing. There is no time to waste on high fire danger days like Tuesday.The sheriff's office said Tuesday morning thanks to the robust response from first responders and fire crews from across the state, no new structures have been damaged Tuesday after losing a home on Monday. Teller County Sherriff Jason Marksell says "Our expectation is that fire danger will be very high, because of that you are gonna see a lot of airdrops, you're gonna see helicopters, you're gonna see everyone throw everything that we possibly can at this thing."Also starting Tuesday, stage three fire bans are also in effect. That means no flames including cooking or smoking outside.The Colorado Springs Fire Department says on Tuesday they were called to help assist in the firefight. CSFD sent a brush truck and a strike team leader and crews arrived at about 6 a.m. Tuesday. The Teller County Sheriff says the fire was caused by negligence and criminal charges are involved at this time, but more details have not been released as of Tuesday morning. We'll stay out here and continue to bring you updates as we get them. _______Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.