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Sharpe Fire in Colorado Reaches 81% Containment After Burning 16,240 Acres in Baca County


Description: The Sharpe Fire south of Springfield, Colorado, is now 81% contained after burning 16,240 acres. Crews continue mop-up operations, strengthen firelines, and monitor hot spots with infrared flights as windy conditions persist. Photo by Russ Watson, Kiowa County Fire Chief.

Sharpe Fire update (Colorado) 5/20/2026 10:00am:

Size: 16,240 acres burned in Colorado

Containment: 81%

Personnel: 100

Location: South of Springfield, CO

Today, crews will continue with mop up operations and strengthening the remaining uncontained fireline. Today’s weather is expected to be windy again with much higher humidity and the potential for moisture this afternoon which will help cool some of the remaining hot spots.

Yesterday there was a large increase in containment during the day because of the hard work that the local agencies had put in since Sunday when the fire came over the border from OK. Often containment comes days after there are no more visible flames.

Even though forward progress of the fire had been stopped by the local agencies, there remains pockets of smoldering vegetation and other materials near the firelines or natural barriers.

These concentrated pockets of heat, or “hot spots”, can breach the firelines if they are not fully extinguished.

Winds can carry embers over the line, allowing the fire to spread and in this case, once again threaten the town of Campo. Crews have been utilizing infrared flights from the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control’s Multi-Mission Aircraft (MMA) to identify remaining areas of heat as well as firefighters visibly looking for pockets of heat while patrolling the firelines. When fire fighters are confident those lines have been secured and will hold under current and expected conditions, they will call those portions contained.

The percentage comes from measurements of contained vs uncontained lines around the perimeter of the fire.