A wildfire burning south of the Manitou Incline that may have been deliberately set was 60% contained after being held in check by more than two dozen firefighters working through the night, the fire’s spokeswoman said Friday.

The size of the Incline fire had been estimated at 3-5 acres Thursday, but officials lowered that to 1 acre on Friday.

Pre-evacuation orders for the 500-600 blocks of Ruxton Avenue and Fairview Avenue were lifted Friday evening.

Throughout the day, rumors spread among Manitou Springs residents that the fire was out because no smoke was visible. However, Dawn Sanchez, Forest Service spokeswoman for the Incline fire, said that wasn’t the case.

Sanchez said firefighters will again be attacking it Saturday morning when dry, windy weather will bring another red flag warning of high fire danger.

For some, the small fire was a reminder of their vulnerability during an extremely hot and dry summer when hundreds of thousands of acres of forest in Colorado have burned.

While keeping an eye on the smoke Thursday, residents talked quietly about the more than 18,000-acre Waldo Canyon fire in 2012 that approached Manitou, but did its damage in Mountain Shadows, where scores of homes were destroyed.

“We packed a few things, just in case, and we’re keeping an eye out,” said Alfredo Duran. “But we’re not too worried yet.”

Brian Churchill, Manitou Springs’ police chief, praised the Fire Department’s quick response to the initial call.

“I’ve been very impressed with the resourcefulness and professionalism they’ve shown,” Churchill said. “They got on top of the fire right away.”

Early Friday, a crew of 35 firefighters hiked up half a mile from the Manitou Springs Incline trailhead to the fire to relieve night crews who had been working to reinforce fire lines and mop up hot spots.

The Incline and Barr Trail will be closed through the weekend, fire officials said.

The cause of the fire hasn’t been released but arson is suspected, said Churchill.

A call came into the communications center about 4:46 p.m. Thursday to report a man yelling “Burn the forest down” near the Barr Trail, said Alex Trefry, a spokesman for the city of Manitou Springs. About 30 minutes later, smoke was visible. 

Wildfire burning at Colorado ski resort weeks before scheduled opening