County Road 169 Fire

Daniel Orr Photo ©

The County Road 169 Fire was reported at approximately 12:15 on February 17th, 2026 near Matheson in Elbert County during a red flag weather day. Crews arrived to a wind driven fast moving grass fire in dry conditions near the area of County Rd. 169 and Hwy. 24. The call was upgraded and mutual-aid was requested with evacuations due to the fire moving quickly. A combination of dry cultivated fields and short grass prairie fields provided ample fuel. The added low humidity of only 6% and high winds created a dangerous situation for all personnel. Winds were recorded at more than 70 mph, causing smoke and blowing dust to create visibility hazards. Graders were brought in and a few locals used their own equipment to assist with the firefighting efforts. After more than 5 hours, crews finally contained the fire with an approximate total of 5,598 acres burned. Simla Volunteer Fire Department (Big Sandy Fire Protection District) requested evacuation orders about 45 minutes into the fire. The fire extended from Elbert County into Lincoln County and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office at 14:45 also issued a Level 3 evacuation orders from County Rd. 2T to County Rd. 22, north to 2W. The forward progress was stopped at Hwy. 71 in Lincoln County with no reported injuries or loss of structures. A temporary shelter was opened to affected residents in Limon. Strike teams were also requested and deployed from the metro area throughout the region with crews staying on scene over night and into the next day monitoring for hot spots. Additional information provided by North Central Fire Protection District

Units on Scene:

Simla Volunteer Fire Department (Big Sandy Fire Protection District): Chief 210, Chief 211, Engine 210, Brush 211, Brush 212, Brush 213, Tender 210 & Tender 211

Kiowa Fire Protection District: Brush 223

Elizabeth Fire Protection District: Chief 272, Brush 271 & Tender 271

Elbert Fire Protection District: Tender 231 & Tender 233

North Central Fire Protection District: Brush 244 & Tender 241

Rattlesnake Fire Protection District: Chief 250 & Brush 251

Agate Fire Protection District: Brush 299, Tender 291 & Tender 299

Tri-County Volunteer Fire Department: Brush 3743 & Tender 3760

Limon Area Fire Protection District: Command 2251, Brush 2241, Brush 2243, Tender 2260 & Tender 2261

Limon Ambulance Service: Medic 2683

Ellicott Fire Protection District: Chief 3300, Brush 3340, Brush 3341 & Tender 3362