A Fremont County wildfire on Wednesday caused a closure on Colorado 115 south of Colorado Springs, while a Custer County wildfire prompted evacuation notices near Westcliffe.

The Custer County Sheriff’s Office posted on social media around 3 p.m. that deputies were going “house to house” to check for occupancy near a growing 20-acre fire near Verdemont Road and County Road 182 outside of Westcliffe.

The Sheriff’s Office said an Everbridge evacuation notice had been sent out to residents within 2 miles of the fire. The post mentioned that many of the affected dwellings were vacation homes.

The fire’s status was elevated later in the day as it grew to 58 acres and is under the command of the Wet Mountain Fire Protection District, the Sheriff’s Office posted on social media Wednesday evening. Evacuees are being directed to Lange Hall, and the saddle club is available for evacuated livestock.

The Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control posted that responders had requested a multi-mission aircraft to help with the fire.

The Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday evening that the division has four aircraft assisting with the blaze. Resources from fire agencies in Salida, Fremont County and “everything we have in Custer County” are working on the ground to combat the flames.

Westcliffe is about 75 miles southwest of Colorado Springs.

Earlier in the day, Fort Carson fire crews responded to a separate fire along Colorado 115, where a lane closure remained Wednesday afternoon.

A Colorado State Patrol spokesperson confirmed that the closure affects an area between mile markers 24 and 25. The Colorado Department of Transportation COTrip showed a northbound closure as of 2:55 p.m.

A Fort Carson official wrote in a statement around 1:30 p.m. that the fire started along the highway, crossing into the Army base around 9:51 a.m. about 20 miles south of the main post.

The official said the fire spanned about 15 acres and was “highly visible” from the highway. Fort Carson fire officials are leading the response, which includes multiple agencies. No structures are threatened, and no injuries have been reported, according to Fort Carson.

The National Interagency Fire Center has listed the fire as human-caused.

Fremont County Emergency Management posted on social media around 10 a.m. that the fire was moving south/southeast and “burning in heavy fuels producing a large column of smoke with large flames visible.” The post advised people not to call 911 to report the fire.

A different, 1,600-acre fire is burning within the Fort Carson training area and was 60% contained as of 8 a.m. Wednesday.

According to the National Weather Service in Pueblo, Fremont County was under a red flag warning for critical fire weather conditions until 9 p.m. Wednesday.

Colorado Springs reached a high temperature of 77 degrees on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Winds reached as strong as 14 mph in the morning before subsiding.

Road updates are available at cotrip.org.

Return to gazette.com for updates on this breaking news story.