Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency on Sunday for a wildfire that forced evacuations just north of Ouray, roughly 130 miles from where the 28,000-acre Snyder Mesa fire was burning along the Colorado-Utah border.
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The Gold Mountain fire sparked Saturday on U.S. Forest Service land near Ouray, quickly consuming a rocky cliffside, according to a news release from Ouray County. As of Sunday afternoon, the cause of the fire remained under investigation, but county officials believed it started on private land.
Ouray County declared a state of emergency for the wildfire on Saturday, and crews from both the Colorado Department of Fire Prevention and Control and the Bureau of Land Management responded. Additional state and federal resources were expected to arrive on Sunday, including both ground crews and air support, county officials said in the release.
The fire had consumed an estimated 572 acres on Sunday, according to the governor’s office. Polis’ disaster declaration authorized the Colorado Department of Public Safety and the state’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management divisions to respond to the fire.
Mandatory evacuation orders remain in effect for residents near Lake Lenore, Panoramic Heights, Redstone Road and Peck’s Trailer Park, county officials said. The county also issued pre-evacuation notices for residents living on Ouray County Road 17 from the Whispering Pines area to the Black Lake area. As of Sunday afternoon, evacuations had not been ordered for the city of Ouray and no structures had been lost.
Evacuated residents can seek shelter at the Ridgway Secondary School, 1200 Green Street, according to county officials.
U.S. 550 was closed in both directions on Sunday between Ouray and Whispering Pines because of the fire, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
“Extremely steep and rugged terrain” makes fighting the fire difficult, county officials said.
Ouray, along with most of southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah, will be under a “particularly dangerous situation” red flag warning on Sunday afternoon, with up to 55 mph winds and humidity as low as 5% in the forecast, according to the National Weather Service’s Grand Junction office. The warning will be in effect from noon to 10 p.m. Sunday.
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“Rapid wildfire growth will be likely,” forecasters said.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
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