The Pueblo National Weather Service announced Monday that gusty winds are blowing over the Oak Ridge Fire, likely at 25 to 35 miles per hour, and are expected to continue into the evening.
NWS Pueblo stated on X, formerly Twitter, that “outflow from distant thunderstorms” would shift winds over the fire starting around 4:15 p.m.
Michael Garberoglio, a meteorologist with NWS Pueblo, told the Chieftain that the outflow from those storms had already passed over the Beulah area before 5 p.m
Smoke and fire card: Oak Ridge Fire near Beulah forces evacuation
“Once the fire gets going, we will be most concerned about the wind because wind will be the key ingredient for the fire to spread further,” Garberoglio said. “Additionally, humidity will be another important factor determining how dry the environmental conditions are and how easterly things will be in the area.”
Garberoglio predicted the winds would die down between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. and become lighter overnight, reaching speeds of less than 10 miles per hour until Tuesday morning.
The announcement comes after the Oak Ridge Fire near Beulah grew to 170 acres late Monday afternoon. Crews battled the blaze over the weekend and early Monday before the blaze broke out and forced the evacuation of Middle Creek Canyon residents.
Live blog: Residents of Middle Creek Canyon were ordered to evacuate due to wildfires
The fire was first reported Saturday morning by the United States Forest Service. The Pikes Peak Hotshot Crew was dispatched Monday to help contain the fire.
NWS Pueblo posted on Facebook earlier Monday that heat advisories were in effect for El Paso, Pueblo and Fremont counties until Tuesday due to “dangerous heat.” Temperatures were expected to rise 10 to 15 degrees above normal.
In Pueblo, temperatures approached 100 degrees in the early and late afternoon periods on Monday.
The Beulah Fire Protection and Ambulance District called the fire danger “high” Monday, triggering fire restrictions.
Chief reporter Josué Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @josuepwrites. Support local news and subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at Subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared in The Pueblo Chieftain: Wind traveling at about 30 miles per hour near Oak Ridge Fire
