Meridian fire burning on almost 4,000 acres east of Colorado Springs, mandatory evacuations ordered

Lauren Penington and Katie Langford, The Denver Post on Mar 13, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

A wildfire is burning across nearly 4,000 acres east of Colorado Springs, Colorado, forcing mandatory evacuations as crews respond to the “rapidly moving” blaze, sheriff’s officials said.

The heart of the Meridian fire is burning near Drennan Road and South Meridian Road but flames are moving north toward Colorado 94, said Sergeant Kurt Smith with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.

That intersection is less than 9 miles east of the Colorado Springs Airport.

Mandatory evacuations now span from Davis Road to the north, Enoch Road to east, Franceville Coal Mine Road to the west and Colorado 94 to the south.

Colorado 94 is closed in both directions between Marksheffel Road and Blaney Road, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

What caused the fire is unknown, Smith said. He said fire crews’ main priority for the “rapidly moving fire” is getting it under control.

The Cimarron Hills Fire Department is in charge of the fire and officials said crews from the Colorado Springs, Falcon and Ellicott Fire Departments are also on scene.

El Paso and Teller County residents can sign up for emergency alerts online.

_____