A fire that started and grew to more than 100 acres on Sunday was fully contained as of 4 p.m. Monday. 

The Coulter Creek fire broke out on Sunday at around 11 a.m., north of Carbondale. It quickly grew from 20 acres to 40 acres, and ultimately settled at 107 acres. Initial estimations at the end of Sunday night put the fire at 115 acres, but more precise mapping the following day concluded that 107 acres are affected. 

The breakout of the fire on Sunday prompted evacuations in nearby Missouri Heights. On Sunday night, however, those evacuations were withdrawn despite the fire reaching zero percent containment. 

“Containment is a line around the fire, and you do not necessarily have to have that line around the fire to allow people back into their homes,” said Jenny Cutright, Public Information Officer for Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District. “Because of the water and retardant drops, the firefighters felt confident that the work they had done would keep the fire from spreading and allow people to go home.”

Carbondale Fire Protection worked with several local fire agencies to stop the spread of the fire on Sunday night, utilizing aerial resources to douse the fire and drop flame retardant in the area. 

At 10 a.m. on Monday, fire crews had contained 20% of the burn area. According to Cutright, they were reasonably confident that the fire would be fully contained by the end of the day. 

Indeed, by 4 p.m. on Monday, the fire had been 100% contained. 

“Firefighters have concluded their work on the Coulter Creek Fire,” said a press release distributed by the Carbondale Fire Protection District at 4 p.m. “The fire is 100% contained. Firefighters will continue to patrol the fire area over the next few days to watch for any remaining hot spots or flare‑ups.”

No one was injured and no homes were lost in the fire.

The cause of the fire was still unknown on Monday evening with investigations ongoing. However, the press release noted that lightning was seen in that area on Sunday and the Carbondale Fire Protection District believes that is likely to have been the source.