JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — Emergency responders said 14 homes were evacuated Thursday evening after a fire sparked in the Dome Rock area.
The Platte River Fire had grown to 31 acres by 9 p.m., and two square miles in the area of South Foxton Road and West Platte River Road had been evacuated out to the Douglas County line, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Cole Hendricks had traveled to the area to kayak in the nearby South Platte River.
“When we got there, all of the police were there. They blocked it off,” Hendricks said. “I didn’t really want to kayak through a wildfire.”
Jeffcom 911 tweeted at 4:19 p.m. that the fire was 4-5 acres and residents between the Historic South Platte Hotel and Dome Rock were being evacuated. By 5:30 p.m., the fire had grown to 20 acres.
Officials believe the fire started from a downed power line in the area of the 17000 block of West Platte River Road, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Jenny Fulton, a spokesperson for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, said residents should be prepared as the summer heats up.
“Be prepared, have a plan and know their evacuation routes, so, if they are evacuated, they know how to exit the area,” Fulton said.
North Fork Fire and Elk Creek Fire were working to contain the fire, the Sheriff’s Office said in a tweet.