Firefighters are responding to a rapidly growing wildfire in the Mitchell Lakes area north of Hermosa.

The 416 Fire was reported about 9:50 a.m. Friday. It started in the Iron King area and moved west into the Mitchell Lakes area.

The fire was 100 acres in size as of 11:45 a.m. and was spotting up to a mile ahead of itself, said Megan Graham, spokeswoman for La Plata County.

U.S. Highway 550 was closed from Baker’s Bridge to Purgatory Resort.

Durango Fire Protection District initially responded to the fire. A federal team is taking over command since the fire is located on National Forest land.

Multiple agencies are fighting the fire, including a federal helicopter and a helicopter provided by the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. A twin-engine jet was also making slurry drops on the fire.

The Iron Gate subdivision in the 36000 block of Highway 550 north is under mandatory evacuation. There are eight homes in the subdivision. The east side of Highway 550, from County Road 250 to Electra Lake is under a pre-evacuation order, La Plata County said on Facebook.

The column of smoke was so tall that firefighters were concerned it would collapse and cause spotting on the east side of Highway 550, according to scanner traffic.

Emergency officials are asking drivers to stay off Highway 550, where traffic was backing up because people are pulling over to observe the plume.

The fire was burning 2 to 3 miles northwest of Hermosa, said Tom Eskew, who was working in the area.

“It looks like Kilauea,” he said Friday morning, referring to the volcano in Hawaii. “It makes Hermosa Mountain look like a volcano right now.”

This is a developing story. Check back with www.durangoherald.com for updates.

Please send any photos of the fire to claws@bcimedia.com.