Firefighters achieved a major victory Thursday as the stubborn 24 Fire burning south of Colorado Springs reached 100% containment, capping a dramatic nine-day fight that forced evacuations, closed highways, and tested every resource Fort Carson and local agencies could throw at it.
The blaze, which started March 20 from target shooting on private land east of Highway 115, scorched exactly 7,386 acres — almost entirely on Fort Carson training grounds — before crews finally boxed it in.
How Containment Numbers Climbed Overnight
Crews never gave the fire an inch once it jumped Highway 115 on March 20.
By Wednesday night, containment sat at just 24%. Then everything changed.
Cooler temperatures, shifting winds, and round-the-clock mop-up operations allowed teams to finish securing the entire perimeter. Fort Carson officials confirmed full containment Thursday morning, March 28, drawing audible relief from exhausted firefighters who had been working 16-hour shifts for over a week.
“We held the line at the highway and never let it threaten homes on the west side,” a Fort Carson fire official told reporters at the final briefing. “That’s the win we’re taking home.”
Evacuations Lifted, Families Return Home
The sweetest moment came days earlier when Fremont County lifted the last mandatory evacuation order on Monday afternoon.
Residents along County Road F45 who had been forced out since March 21 streamed back to their properties, many hugging deputies at the checkpoint on Highway 115 and K Street.
One woman told 11 News she cried when she saw her house still standing exactly as she left it.
All pre-evacuation notices were canceled by Tuesday. Pathfinder Park in Florence, which had sheltered dozens of horses, goats, and dogs, closed its emergency animal intake Wednesday after the last pets were reunited with owners.
Timeline of the 24 Fire
- March 20: Sparked by target shooting near mile marker 24, Highway 115
- March 21: Jumps highway, explodes to 1,067 acres, first evacuations ordered
- March 22: Grows to nearly 2,000 acres despite aerial attacks
- March 23: Hits 4,600 acres, still 0% contained
- March 24: Reaches 7,385 acres, containment finally hits 24%
- March 25: Evacuations downgraded, aggressive firing operations completed
- March 27: Containment jumps to 85%
- March 28: 100% contained at 7,386 acres
Zero Homes Lost, But the Scare Was Real
Incredible work by ground crews and air support kept the fire from claiming a single structure.
Two heavy air tankers, two super scoopers, and multiple helicopters flew relentless missions, dropping thousands of gallons daily. More than 170 firefighters from local, state, and federal agencies rotated through the lines.
The fire burned hot and fast through grass and pinyon-juniper, creating its own weather at times with massive smoke columns visible from Pueblo to Denver.
Yet every time it tried to push west toward neighborhoods, crews were already there with dozers, hand lines, and burnout operations.
Cause Confirmed: Recreational Shooting
Investigators announced Thursday the fire was human-caused, started by target shooting on private property east of the highway.
No charges have been filed yet, but the reminder hit hard in a state still healing from Marshall, East Troublesome, and Cameron Peak.
Fort Carson immediately banned all open flames and recreational shooting on post until further notice. Officials say the training area where most of the fire burned will need months, possibly years, to recover.
A Community That Showed Up
From the moment the fire started, southern Colorado rallied.
Penrose Elementary hosted packed town halls. Churches opened doors for displaced families. Local ranchers brought hay and trailers for livestock.
One Florence feed store owner told me he gave away more than $8,000 worth of hay and feed in the first 48 hours because “these are our neighbors.”
That’s the part you can’t measure in acres or containment percentages.
Nine days of fear, smoke, and uncertainty ended with zero homes lost and everyone safe — because hundreds of people refused to let this fire win.
The 24 Fire is out. The scars will remain for years. But so will the gratitude.
What did this fire teach you about preparedness in Colorado’s new reality of bigger, hotter blazes? Drop your thoughts below — our community needs to hear them.
