Las Animas County

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper has ordered flags be lowered to half-staff statewide on all public buildings from sunrise until sunset Thursday, December 20, to honor Las Animas County Sheriff's Deputy Sergeant Matthew Moreno.

Moreno, 37, of Trinidad, died in a traffic crash last week. He was responding to an incident when the vehicle he was traveling in collided with another vehicle. The driver of that car and her daughter also were killed.  The incident remains under investigation.

Rio Blanco County experienced its third earthquake in a day Saturday as a magnitude 3.4 quake shook an area approximately 50 miles north of Grand Junction.

The quake occurred at 4:42 a.m. and was about one mile beneath the surface. It was located about four miles southwest of a 4.3 earthquake that occurred Friday morning. That quake was the strongest of the year in Colorado so far. A magnitude 2.9 quake was also recorded in the area Friday by the United State Geological Survey.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is alerting visitors to its wildlife areas and park in Las Animas County that fire restrictions enacted by the sheriff apply on state-controlled areas.

High winds and low humidity have created dangerous conditions and produced devastating wildfires leading Las Animas County to enact Stage 2 fire restrictions.

Sheriff James Casias announced the fire restrictions, with approval of the Board of County Commissioners, after two wildfires broke out April 17: the 728-acre Broken Ranch Fire and the 4,783-acre Trinchera Creek Fire.

A small earthquake occurred early Saturday morning in northwest Colorado.

According to the United States Geological Survey the quake, measuring 2.7 on the Richter Scale, happened shortly after 1:00 a.m. Saturday about 18 miles north of Glenwood Springs in Garfield county. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 1.7 miles.

Only one person has reported feeling the quake.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a relatively minor earthquake near Trinidad in Las Animas county Saturday night.

The quake measured 3.6 on the Richter scale, and was located 18 miles west of Trinidad at a depth of about three miles. Two hours after it occurred, only four people had reported feeling the quake.

The location is just outside the southwest boundary of the Spanish Peaks State Wildlife area.

Las Animas was the site of another earthquake Saturday evening according to the United States Geological Survey.

The 4.0 quake, as measured on the Richter Scale, occurred at about 4:45 p.m. as was centered about 68 miles south of Pueblo at a depth of three miles. The earthquake was downgraded slightly from the original 4.1 report.

An hour after the earthquake occurred, 30 people had reporting feeling the shaking, however damages and injuries had not been reported.

The United States Geological Survey recorded an earthquake in Las Animas county at 6:00 a.m. Wednesday morning. It was centered 27 miles southwest of Trinidad.

The quake, measuring 3.0 on the Richter Scale, occurred at a depth of 3.1 miles. A week ago, a 3.4 earthquake occurred about 20 miles north of the area, which regularly experiences such minor quakes.

No damage or injuries have been reported.

Three people in the Trinidad area reported feeling an earthquake that shook western Las Animas county Tuesday night.

The quake measured 3.4 on the Richter Scale according to the United States Geological Survey. It occurred at 9:41 p.m. about one-half mile below the surfaced, and was centered about 69 miles south of Pueblo.

No damage or injuries have been reported.

The United States Geological Survey reports that an earthquake measuring 3.8 on the Richter Scale occurred Sunday at 2:34 a.m.

The quake was centered 26 miles southwest of Trinidad in Las Animas county near where a 3.7 earthquake occurred Friday morning. That quake was located just south of the Colorado-New Mexico border.

Two people reported feeling Sunday's quake. No reports of damage have been received.

An earthquake occurred just south of the Colorado-New Mexico border early Friday morning.

According to the United State Geological Survey, the quake occurred at 12:53 a.m., and was centered about 27 miles southwest of Trinidad on the Canadian River at a depth of three miles. It registered 3.7 on the Richter Scale.

Only three people have reported feeling the quake, and no damages have been reported.

Small earthquakes are common in the area, including a 3.9 quake that occurred in June.