A wildfire burning on U.S. Air Force Academy grounds is no longer spreading, though the facility will remain closed to the public on Tuesday.
The West Monument Creek fire burning on the south end of the U.S. Air Force Academy grounds was 20% contained as of 9 a.m. Monday, according to an Academy update on X.
The fire started about 1 p.m. Sunday and has burned at least 168 acres west of the Pine housing area, according to academy officials.
In an update Monday night, officials said the footprint of the fire has not significantly changed but the fire is not yet fully contained.
A prepare-to-evacuate notice for Pine and Douglass Valley housing was lifted Monday night.
As of 9 a.m. today, firefighters from the U.S. Air Force Academy and the Colorado Springs Fire Department have the West Monument Creek Fire on the U.S. Air Force Academy 20 percent contained. The fire has burned 168 acres. pic.twitter.com/OS97edASdT
— U.S. Air Force Academy (@AF_Academy) February 26, 2024
No structures are threatened, but the academy is closed to anyone who is not a Department of Defense ID cardholder, contractor or District 20 student, according to the Monday night update.
The Child Development Centers and Military Treatment Facility will be open for regular hours Tuesday unless conditions change, and academy operations will continue as scheduled.
Two helicopters from Fort Carson assisted with water dumps on Monday, dropping more than 14,000 gallons of water on hot spots, and the U.S. Forest Service and Colorado Springs Fire Department also responded to the fire.
The Colorado Springs Fire Department assisted the academy’s fire response teams Sunday as well, academy spokesperson Katherine Spessa said.
At least five Colorado Springs fire crews and 32 personnel responded, according to a fire department post on X, and four units were sent to assist Monday.
