A large plume of smoke was visible on radar.
LAMAR, Colo. — A grass fire started just east of Lamar on Wednesday afternoon, and a large plume of smoke could be seen from central Lamar and across Prowers County.
No evacuations have been reported yet.
The Prowers County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the fire to KRDO, 9NEWS’ partner station in Colorado Springs, but didn’t have any information on the size.
“A wildfire is currently burning between Lamar and Granada and will continue to spread to the northeast fueled by strong winds and low humidity,” the National Weather Service in Pueblo said in a tweet around 5:45 p.m. “Please heed any evacuation notices by local authorities in this area. Blowing dust will reduce visibility down to a mile at times.”
There were multiple sightings of the fire, which appeared to start mid-afternoon on Wednesday.
A Red Flag Warning is in place until 8 p.m. on Wednesday for most of southeastern Colorado due to a combination of dry air, gusty winds, and very low relative humidity.
At 5 p.m. on Wednesday, the air temperature in Lamar was 78 degrees with only 12 percent humidity, a strong indication of very warm and dry air. Most concerning, though, were winds that were gusting over 50 mph throughout most of Wednesday afternoon.
Winds were out of the southwest, which should push any smoke away from Lamar.
That could, however, pose a greater threat for the small towns of Bristol, Granada, and Holly in eastern Prowers County.
The fire could be seen on radar, and based on radar imagery, it appeared to start and spread quickly.
Winds will continue to howl through early tonight before gradually tapering after 9 or 10 p.m. Dry air and strong winds will keep fire danger high in the Prowers County area.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated as information becomes available.
