Vision Hills Fire in northeast Pueblo sparks evacuations, burns more than 100 acres

The Vision Hills Fire that began Friday morning in northeast Pueblo was 80% contained Saturday evening after burning approximately 107 acres, according to the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office.

No structures burned during the fire and no loss of life was reported. An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.

"We're not out of the woods yet, but we’re in a better place than we were yesterday," Pueblo County Sheriff David Lucero said in a video about the fire posted to the Pueblo County Vimeo page on Saturday. "We’ve made some significant progress on the Vision Hills Fire, we have several fire crews that are out there and will remain out there throughout the day.

"We would ask the public to stay away from the area," he said. "Generally, fire has curiosity and people want to go out and see the effects of it. However, this inhibits law enforcement and/or fire response to go to those affected areas."

The fire forced evacuations for homes a half-mile north of 1945 Overton Road, but those evacuations were lifted Saturday morning and those residences were placed under a pre-evacuation notice. Just after 6 p.m. Saturday, the PCSO announced that all pre-evacuations on Overton Road had been lifted.

Volunteers from the southeastern Colorado chapter of the Red Cross operated an evacuation center and provided support to those impacted by the Vision Hills Fire, as well as those impacted by another large fire that began Friday at the Evraz Rocky Mountain Steel Mill. That evacuation center also closed Saturday.

According to the PCSO, residents of approximately 25 homes were asked to evacuate Friday.

The fire began around 10:30 a.m. Friday, burning brush east of Fountain Creek and west of Jerry Murphy Road where it turns into Overton Road.

Multiple fire crews responded to the fire and air resources assisted in the extensive firefighting operations.

Lucero noted in the county's video Saturday that while the firefighting effort "taxes our resources here locally, we still have the ability to respond effectively should something else happen throughout the county."

Road closures due to the Vision Hills Fire included north and southbound Jerry Murphy Road/Overton Road from Bluestem to Pinon Road, and east and westbound Vision Hills Parkway from Jerry Murphy Road to Castor Drive. Those roads reopened Saturday.

Because of the smoke from the Evraz and Vision Hills fires, the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment issued a public health alert for air quality. In the advisory, the health department recommended residents stay indoors and avoid outdoor activities through Sunday, April 7.

Due to the area’s poor air quality, the city-owned golf courses of Elmwood and Walking Stick were both closed on Saturday, and Pueblo Transit limited its services in the Salt Creek area.

Agencies that responded to the Vision Hills Fire included the Pueblo Fire Department, Pueblo County Emergency Services Division Fire, Pueblo Rural Fire Department, Beulah Fire Department, Rye Fire Protection District, West Park Fire Department, Hanover Fire Protection District, Pueblo Chemical Depot, Pueblo County Roads and Bridges and Division of Fire Protection & Control and AMR.

Chieftain editor Zach Hillstrom can be reached at zhillstrom@gannett.com or on X, formerly Twitter, at @ZachHillstrom. Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com