WOLCOTT — A small wildfire near Wolcott forced the evacuation of a half dozen people and two horses late Sunday afternoon.
The Red Canyon 2 Fire, which had burned about 26 acres of mostly sagebrush as of Monday morning was first reported around 5 p.m. Sunday above the Eagle Springs Golf Course in Wolcott.
It is currently burning on a ridge to the east of the Red Canyon Estates subdivision, on the White River National Forest land about .3 miles from the subdivision.
Evacuations for Red Canyon Estates are still in place and large animals are being sheltered at the Eagle County Fairgrounds.
Firefighters determined the fire was located on a ridge to the east of the Red Canyon subdivision. Six people and two horses were evacuated as a precaution, according to a release from the Eagle River Fire Protection District.
A Type 3 helicopter conducted bucket drops throughout Sunday afternoon and early evening. A major power line in the area was initially threatened, and as a precaution, the communities of Edwards, Avon, Beaver Creek and Vail were notified of the possibility of a power outage.
Firefighters successfully kept the fire from those power lines and as of 11 p.m. Sunday, they did not expect a threat to the power supply.
The cause has not been determined; however, there was lighting activity in the area at the time, and two other small fires were reported along the Interstate around the same time.