Large wildfire burning at Bent's Old Fort in southeast Colorado

Bents Fort Fire wildfire Map April 12-2020 — Map showing the location of the Bent’s Fort Fire in southeast Colorado, at 4:42 a.m. MDT, 4-12-2020. Satellites detected heat in each of the circles.

(UPDATED at 2:18 p.m. MDT April 12, 2020)

Sunday morning the Otero County Sheriff’s Office reported that the Bent’s Fort Fire had burned approximately 1,500 acres and was about 75% contained. Crews were still working on hot spots and on the southern edge where it jumped the river at the Otero/Bent County line and flared up at around 3 a.m. Sunday.

The most recent heat shown in the map above was detected by a satellite at 4:42 a.m. MDT Sunday.

The fire is about halfway between La Junta and Las Animas in southeast Colorado, east of Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site.

(Originally published at 5:38 p.m. MDT April 11, 2020)

Bent's Fort Fire Colorado — Bents Fort Fire, posted at 1:57 p.m. MDT 4-11-2020 by Colorado State Patrol.

A fire described as “massive” by the Twitter account for the Otero County Sheriff ignited Saturday about 9 miles east of La Junta, Colorado. The Sheriff’s office said at 3:05 p.m. MDT, “Fire units from almost [all] of southeast Colorado responding.” (see map below)

Bents Fort Fire Map 4:55 pm MDT 4-11-2020 — Map showing the general location of the Bent’s Fort Fire in southeast Colorado, 4-11-2020.

Bents Fort Fire Map 2:36 pm MDT 4-11-2020 — Map showing the location of the Bent’s Fort Fire in southeast Colorado, at 2:36 p.m. MDT, 4-11-2020. Satellites detected heat in each of the circles.

At 5:34 p.m. MDT the fire had burned approximately 1,167 acres according to the Otero County Sheriff’s office.

The fire is east of Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site which is on the south side of Highway 194.

The weather conditions are very conducive to rapid fire spread. At 5:30 p.m. at the La Junta Municipal Airport: 75 degrees, 6% relative humidity, with wind out of the south at 12 mph gusting to 22.