All evacuation notices and orders for the Oak Fire were lifted as of Wednesday, according to Pagosa Fire Protection District Chief Robert Bertram.
The fire was 75 acres and 47% contained as of Wednesday afternoon, and no homes were destroyed, Bertram said.
Evacuation orders covered the Elk Park subdivision and some homes off Ironwood Drive. At its peak Monday, about 900 residents were under evacuation.
Pre-evacuation notices were issued to residents on North Pagosa Boulevard and Martinez Canyon, Bertram said.
About 100 firefighters were working the blaze Wednesday, and operations were gradually scaling down as containment progressed, Bertram said.
Fire crews expected to shift from Type 3 to Type 4 teams Thursday morning – typically used for extended response, Bertram said.
Command, previously held by Colorado’s Division of Fire Prevention and Control, would be turned over to the Pagosa Springs Fire Protection District on Thursday, he said.
“Our Type 4 team will be in place at least through the weekend, and we'll probably have 40 firefighters on the ground for those days,” Bertram said.
The Oak Fire was first reported Sunday afternoon and led to power shutoffs in several neighborhoods west of Pagosa Springs.
The fire started in the Spruce Circle neighborhood, around 10 miles west of downtown Pagosa Springs.
The wildland fire was not started by a structure fire, despite early reports suggesting otherwise, Bertram said. The cause remained under investigation as of Wednesday.
Gov. Jared Polis declared the fire a disaster emergency Monday and authorized the Colorado National Guard to assist.
“Thank you to all the first responders and community members stepping up during this difficult time,” Polis said in a Facebook post Monday.
The Oak Fire is one of at least four active wildfires in Southwest Colorado.
“This area is very susceptible to fire,” Bertram said. “It does not take much (to start a fire). On the map, there's three distinct places that this fire took place, and two were just a little ember that flew through the air and started another spot fire – and (those) can take off quickly.”
La Plata County was placed under Stage 2 fire restrictions on Aug. 8.
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