Evraz fire 100% contained, but fire danger remains with high winds expected in Pueblo

Editor's note: This story was updated Saturday afternoon to reflect that the Evraz Fire is now 100% contained.

A large fire broke out at the Evraz Rocky Mountain Steel mill Friday, burning multiple buildings, producing billowing clouds of dark black smoke and prompting pre-evacuation notices, air quality public health advisories, and road closures in Pueblo.

In a video posted to the Pueblo County Vimeo page Saturday morning, Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham said the fire was contained and that "multiple buildings" had collapsed and burned down. In a news release around 3:45 p.m. Saturday, city officials said the Evraz Fire was 100% contained but not yet fully extinguished.

The release stated that the Pueblo Fire Department had turned over jurisdiction and oversight of the operation to onsite crews with Evraz North America, but cautioned that fire danger remained extreme, and that a high wind warning remained in effect.

"Gusty west winds could cause damage, travel impacts and extreme fire danger," the release stated.

In a written statement Friday, an Evraz spokesperson said the fire began in a building primarily used for staging and storage.

“All employees were immediately and safely evacuated, and all have been accounted for,” the spokesperson said.

Pre-evacuation notices were issued Friday for residents in the 1000-1100 block of Palo Alto Street in the Salt Creek neighborhood due to the fire.

Residents in the area surrounding the Evraz mill were instructed to shelter in place Friday evening, but that shelter-in-place order was no longer in effect Saturday, according to the city.

Several roads were also closed Friday evening and remained closed Saturday morning. Those closures included Santa Fe Avenue at Sante Fe Drive, E. Northern Avenue at Santa Fe Drive, E. Northern Avenue at Elm Street, and E. Mesa Avenue at Elm Street.

Because of the smoke from the Evraz Fire, as well as the Vision Hills Fire — another large blaze that began Friday in northeast Pueblo and had burned over 100 acres as of Saturday morning — the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment issued a public health alert for air quality. In the advisory, the health department recommended residents stay indoors and avoid outdoor activities through Sunday, April 7.

Graham said officials from the Environmental Protection Agency arrived in Pueblo on Friday evening to conduct air quality tests and remained on site Saturday.

The Pueblo health department said Saturday afternoon that officials were working with the department of public works to "place preventative measures" around ditches and waterways in the area to prevent any potential fire debris or materials from entering waterways.

Due to the area’s poor air quality, no outdoor activities were permitted on city property on Saturday. The city-owned golf courses of Elmwood and Walking Stick were both closed, all scheduled games at Langoni Field were canceled, and no access to the fields was permitted.

Volunteers from the southeastern Colorado chapter of the Red Cross provided support to those impacted by the Vision Hills and Evraz fires.

"Red Cross disaster responders have opened an evacuation center and are ready to accommodate anyone needing information or other assistance," the Red Cross stated in a news release Saturday. The evacuation center is located at St. Charles Mesa Recreation Center at 1650 Cooper Place.

Pueblo Transit also limited its services to the Salt Creek area on Saturday due to access issues with traffic control points and limited access on some roads.

Chieftain editor Zach Hillstrom can be reached at zhillstrom@gannett.com, or on X, formerly Twitter, at @ZachHillstrom. Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: What to know about the status of the Evraz fire on Saturday