The second red flag warning along the Interstate 25 corridor in three days brought powerful winds as daily high temperature records were broken in Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Alamosa by 4 or more degrees.

A Fort Carson official confirmed to The Gazette that two fire departments joined the base’s firefighters as a precaution to battle a 1,600-acre fire in the Army base’s training area. No other active fires in Colorado were larger than 4 acres as of Friday evening, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

“All perimeter lines established around the fire held throughout the night. Smoke will be visible as crews continue to monitor the fire within the impact area,” Fort Carson officials said in an email Saturday afternoon.

The blaze began before the National Weather Service in Pueblo issued a second red flag warning on Friday for El Paso, Pueblo and Teller counties minutes after the first expired at 6 p.m.

Strong winds persisted through much of Friday along the Front Range, forcing 30 flights to be diverted from Denver International Airport, which had a ground stop at 10 a.m. for winds of up to 105 mph.

It was the most planes diverted to the Colorado Springs Airport in one day this year and caused planes to become stacked along the runway.

Friday was also the warmest Dec. 19 on record for all three cities NWS Pueblo tracks daily temperature records for, a spokesperson told The Gazette.

After 108 years, Pueblo broke its record of 70 degrees set in 1917 by hitting 75. Meanwhile, Alamosa set a new high of 63 degrees, shattering the old record of 56 degrees set in 1955.

In Colorado Springs, temperatures reached 71 degrees Friday, breaking its previous record of 67 degrees set in 2023.

Less strong winds are expected to continue through the weekend and a high wind warning remains in effect for several areas, including most of Teller County, until 5 a.m. Saturday.

Colorado Springs is forecast to experience temperatures on Monday within a few degrees of its 69-degree record for Dec. 22, set in 1955.