MANITOU SPRINGS – Ground crews and aircraft battled a fast-moving wildfire that burned about 80 acres in the Manitou Springs area near Pikes Peak on Friday. Crews hoped to have the fire fully contained by noon on Saturday. Residents were being warned to stay away from the fire area Friday evening after a hiker first reported it that morning around 11:35 a.m. The flames are north of Pikes Peak and a plume of smoke could be seen from Colorado Springs throughout much of Friday. About 70 firefighters from Manitou Springs, Colorado Springs, El Paso County and the Forest Service were on scene. A single-engine air tanker dropped fire-retardant slurry and a helicopter also dropped water on the fire. The fire has forced the cancellation of two trains on the Pike's Peak Cog Railway. The railroad planned to resume service on Saturday. The fire was at least a mile from the tracks on Friday evening. No structures are threatened and, aside from the train cancellations, no evacuations have been ordered. However, crews are carefully watching the fire's progress due to several nearby homes and a water tank. The fire is in rugged terrain and it began at the bottom of a small canyon, so it's precise size was hard to determine. Authorities say people were on the mountain when the fire started, but got off very quickly.
