The Arapaho fire near Wheatland is the second highest priority fire in the Rocky Mountain Region as of today. It’s burned nearly 88,000 acres and has forced 300 homes to be evacuated.
Public Information Officer Jim Whittington says erratic winds have pushed the fire in multiple directions, and he says it spread fast.
“The first day it was at 5,000 acres and then a couple days later it was at 75,000 acres. You’re talking 25, 30 thousand acres a day,” Whittington said. “This fire still has a lot of potential, and it obviously grew very fast, very quickly.”
Whittington says it’s not spreading as quickly any more, and he says rain is expected in the next few days, which could help.
He adds that firefighters were able to protect the Friend Park subdivision, and their immediate goal is to keep the fire out of the Friend Creek drainage, so it doesn’t spread even farther north.