Colorado wildfires: Gold Mountain fire near Ouray jumps 6,000 acres in size

DENVER — Crews fighting a wildfire that killed three firefighters on Colorado’s Western Slope have gained the first bit of containment on the blaze.

The Snyder fire burning along the Colorado-Utah border is one of several wildfires burning in Colorado that together have consumed more than 96,000 acres, or 151 square miles. As of Tuesday evening, the Mesa County wildfire was 10% contained, according to Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1, which is in charge of the fire response.

Snyder fire in Mesa County and Utah

Colorado’s largest wildfire was burning on more than 30,000 acres along the Colorado-Utah border on Wednesday, according to fire officials.

As of Tuesday evening, the Snyder fire had scorched roughly 30,209 acres, or 47 square miles, with 10% containment, according to the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team in charge. The small increase reported Tuesday night is the team’s first foothold on containment.

“Fire personnel will continue to look for opportunities tomorrow where they can safely engage directly with the fire perimeter,” fire officials said in a Tuesday evening update announcing the containment increase.

The Snyder fire is the result of four wildfires merging — Utah’s Snyder Mesa and Jones fires and Colorado’s Knowles and Gore fires in Mesa County. The two Utah wildfires spread into Colorado on Saturday, overtaking a group of firefighters fighting the Mesa County fires and killing three of them. At that time, the fatal blaze prompted Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to issue a disaster declaration.

The five firefighters were trying to deploy their tent-like shelters when they were overcome, officials said.

U.S. Forest Service officials identified the firefighters who died as 38-year-old Emily Barker of Michigan, 27-year-old Nick Hutcherson of Arizona and 27-year-old Sydney Watson of Alabama. Two other firefighters sustained burn injuries and remained hospitalized Monday in the Denver area.

It’s unknown when the fire was last mapped and how much of the damage is in each of the two states, but fire maps appear to show most of the burn area on the Western Slope.

Pre-evacuation notices were issued on Sunday for residents living in the Glade Park area, the Kingsview subdivision and the Pollock Canyon Estates, according to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office. That includes the area south of the Colorado River to BS Road and west of Colorado 340. The sheriff also closed A 2/10 Road at DS Road and BS Road before the Bureau of Land Management boundary, the Kokopelli Trail Road between Loma and Mack and 16 5/10 Road to Glade Park at Monument Road and Rim Rock Drive, according to law enforcement.

As of Wednesday morning, none of those notices had been lifted.

The sheriff’s office and the American Red Cross are operating a Snyder Mesa fire evacuation center at Grand Junction High School, 1400 N. Fifth St.

Gold Mountain fire near Ouray

A wildfire burning north of Ouray jumped more than 5,000 acres on Tuesday, spurred on by gusty winds and dry weather, according to fire officials.

The Gold Mountain fire had consumed an estimated 14,960 acres — roughly 23 square miles — as of Wednesday morning, jumping in size from the 8,277-acre burn area reported the day before.

The wildfire sparked Saturday north of Ouray, forcing evacuations. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis issued a disaster declaration for the Gold Mountain fire on Sunday.

As of Wednesday morning, mandatory evacuation orders remained active northwest and southwest of the fire, according to Ouray County’s evacuation map.

The southern evacuation zone included Lake Lenore and was bordered to the west by U.S. 550, to the north by Cutler Creek, to the east by the wildfire burn area and to the south by Bridalveil Creek. The northern evacuation zone was bordered to the west by Ouray County Road 10, to the north by Cow and Deer creeks, to the east by Lou Creek Pass and to the south by Bald Peak and the wildfire.

Pre-evacuation orders were also issued for southwest Gunnison County, along Coal Creek and the Cimarron Ridge, according to the map.

An evacuation shelter was opened at the Ridgway Secondary School, 1200 Green St., according to county officials.

As of Wednesday morning, U.S. 550 remained closed in both directions between 10th Avenue and Ouray County Road 23 for the fire, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Ferris fire in San Juan National Forest, near Dolores

The Ferris fire, which started Saturday as three separate fires in southwestern Colorado’s San Juan National Forest, has consumed more than 20,000 acres with no containment, according to federal officials.

As of Wednesday morning, the lightning-sparked wildfire was estimated to be burning on 21,279 acres, according to fire officials. That’s just over 33 square miles.

The Ferris, Far Draw and Doe fires — now called the Ferris fire — started in the San Juan National Forest’s Glade area near Narraguinnep Canyon, north of Dolores, according to the Forest Service.

Mandatory evacuations were issued for residents north and east of the wildfires, according to the Dolores County Office of Emergency Management. The evacuation area was bordered to the north by Disappointment Road, to the south by the Glade Ranch community, to the west by the fire and to the east by Road 30, according to the office.

The U.S. Forest Service also closed the Bradfield Bridge Campground, Forest Service Road 504 to the base of McPhee Dam, Forest Service Road 521 and Forest Service Road 504 “out of an abundance of caution,” federal officials said.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife on Tuesday cut off public access to the Lone Dome State Wildlife Area in Dolores and Montezuma counties, according to a news release from the agency. As fire conditions continue to change, further closures may be put into place for public safety and to support firefighting efforts, wildlife officials said.

“We’re implementing the closure to support the efforts by the U.S. Forest Service and the counties to keep the public out of the active fire area and to protect public and firefighter safety,” CPW Area Wildlife Manager Adrian Archuleta stated in the release. “We appreciate the public’s assistance in respecting these closures.”

Willow fire near Leadville

The Willow fire sparked Sunday evening near the Leadville National Fish Hatchery and quickly grew across more than 2,000 acres, prompting evacuations for residents west of town.

The wildfire was first reported at about 4:20 p.m. Sunday by the Lake County Office of Emergency Management. At that time, it was burning on a handful of U.S. Forest Service acres below Mount Massive, near Twin Mounds, county officials said.

By Wednesday morning, the fire had spread to an estimated 2,011 acres with no containment in the San Isabel National Forest, according to Southwest Area Incident Management Team 4, which is leading the fire response. That’s roughly 3 square miles.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis issued a disaster declaration for the fire on Monday.

As of Wednesday morning, the mandatory evacuation area included Turquoise Lake and was bordered to the south by Rock Creek, to the west by Hagerman Pass, to the north by Galena Mountain and to the east by Leadville, according to the Lake County evacuation map. The Leadville area and homes north of the fire along U.S. 24 were on pre-evacuation status at that time.

Lake County officials said evacuations included all residents on County Road 4 east to County Road 9D, County Road 9, County Road 9D, County Road 5A, County Road 48, County Road 99, all trails from the Leadville National Fish Hatchery, all campgrounds around Turquoise Lake, the Colorado Trail and Hagerman Pass into Pitkin County.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Aspen Acres fire in Custer and Pueblo counties

A wildfire that sparked Monday morning in in southern Colorado continued to be aggressive Tuesday, expanding to more than 28,000 acres in size — roughly 44 square miles — as it destroyed more than 150 structures, injured a firefighter and forced evacuations, according to the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office.

Damage assessment teams are still working on accessing the structures destroyed by the Aspen Acres fire and will contact property owners directly, Pueblo County Sheriff David Lucero said during an update Tuesday afternoon.

Roughly 100 Pueblo County structures were believed to have been affected, and another 55 structures — primarily homes — were lost in Custer County, according to the Custer County Sheriff’s Office. One firefighter was injured this week while fighting the flames in Custer County, sheriff’s officials said.

“While our immediate focus remains on protecting lives and property, we are already preparing for the recovery phase,” Lucero said. “As we begin that recovery process, I want every person affected by the fire to know that you will not face this journey alone.”

There is still no containment on the 28,314-acre fire, but firefighters continue to make good progress, Lucero said.

Authorities have ordered mandatory evacuations in the Beulah, Rye, San Isabel Lake, Aspen Acres, Lazy Acres and Bishops Castle areas, as well as for Colorado 165 from Colorado 96 south to the Pueblo County line, 3R Road to Waterbarrel Road and South Burnt Mill Road to Interstate 25, about 2 miles south of Pueblo’s Southgate area.

Evacuated residents can seek shelter at the Pueblo County Recreation Center, 1650 Cooper Place, or the Wetmore Community Center, 95 County Road 393.

The wildfire, for which Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has issued a disaster declaration, was reported as a spot fire near the Aspen Acres campground shortly before 6 a.m. Monday. It grew to 362 acres by 10 a.m., reached 2,476 acres around noon and exploded in size to 22,827 acres Monday evening, according to fire officials.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has authorized the use of federal funds to help with the firefighting costs in southern Colorado, according to a news release from the agency. FEMA officials ruled that the Aspen Acres fire “threatened such destruction that it would constitute a major disaster.”

Federal funding will cover 75% of the state’s eligible firefighting costs under an approved grant for managing, mitigating and controlling designated fires, according to the federal agency. Eligible expenses can include field camps; equipment use, repair and replacement; mobilization and demobilization activities; and tools, materials and supplies.

Officials with the U.S. Forest Service and the Colorado Department of Public Safety are investigating the cause of the fire, according to the Custer County Sheriff’s Office.

Air quality alerts

As wildfires continue to burn across Colorado, state health officials have issued another air quality advisory for parts of the mountains and Western Slope.

The newest alert from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will remain in effect until at least 9 a.m. Wednesday, according to the agency.

Smoke could create unhealthy conditions near and downwind of the fires burning in southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah, including in Chaffee, Clear Creek, Custer, Delta, Dolores, Eagle, Elbert, El Paso, Fremont, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Gunnison, Huerfano, Jackson, Lake, Lincoln, Mesa, Moffat, Montezuma, Montrose, Morgan, Ouray, Park, Pitkin, Pueblo, Rio Blanco, Routt, Saguache, San Miguel, Summit, Teller and Washington counties, according to state health officials.

If the smoke drops visibility to less than 5 miles in an area, it has reached unhealthy levels, according to the agency. Those with heart disease and respiratory illnesses, young children and older adults are more at risk.

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