Airport Fire / Louviers Fire

At 14:05 on July 13th, 2025 South Metro Fire Rescue responded to numerous vegetation fires burning along the southbound railroad tracks just west of Hwy. 85 between Highlands Ranch and Sedalia in Douglas County. The largest fire near Hwy. 85 and Kelley Ave. which quickly grew to several acres and traveled west into the town of Louviers which was placed on mandatory evacuation. Around 14:30 the call was upgraded to a 2nd alarm large vegetation fire and structure protection was put in place and Douglas County OEM Helitack immediately assisted on the ground and in the air with water drops. Unified command was set up at Hwy. 85 and Chatridge Court and several geographic divisions were established for span of control. An additional helicopter, Multi-Mission Aircraft (MMA) and dozers were requested. It took several hours to stop forward progress on all the flanks and evacuation orders were lifted around 19:00 and crews continued to work on containment effort into the evening. No injuries were reported and no structures were damaged. The cause is believed to be sparks from a passing southbound train which stopped in Sedalia for inspection. The fire has burned 130 acres as of July 15th, 2025 and crews continue to work on full containment. Denver Fire Department and Aurora Fire Rescue provided district coverage within the district during the main incident. Additional information provided by South Metro Fire Rescue

Units on Scene:

South Metro: Chief 14, District Chief 1, Battalion Chief 1, Battalion Chief 2, Battalion Chief 3, Safety 1, Safety 2, Wildland 30, Med 1, Med 2, Bureau 23, Bureau 34, Logistics 3, Rehab 12, PIO 12, PIO 16, Brush 16, Brush 17, Brush 33, Brush 42, Brush 46, Brush Engine 20, Brush Engine 39, Brush Engine 40, Engine 11, Engine 13, Engine 14, Engine 15, Engine 16, Engine 19, Engine 40, Engine 36, Medic 16, Medic 18, Medic 36, Tender 39, Tender 41 & Tender 46

South Metro Fire Emergency Communications: IDT 2, IDT 11 & IDT 32

West Douglas County Fire Protection District: Chief 131, Brush 132, Brush 133, Brush 134 & Tender 132

West Metro Fire Rescue: District Chief 3, Brush 13, Brush 15 & Medic 15

Castle Rock Fire Rescue: Battalion Chief 151, Safety 151, Brush 155 & Medic 154

Franktown Fire Protection District: Engine 181 & Tender 184

Jackson 105 Fire Protection District: Chief 141, Brush 142, Brush 145, Tender 142 & Tender 143

Larkspur Fire Protection District: Brush 161

Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control: Multi-Mission Aircraft (MMA)

Douglas County Office of Emergency Management: OEM 15, OEM 20 & Helicopter 5TA (N205TA)

Air Support: Helicopter Transport Services Helitanker 8HT (N718HT)

Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Arapahoe Rescue Patrol & Colorado State Patrol