Three wildfires burning in western Colorado have consumed nearly 50,000 acres — roughly 78 square miles — and killed three firefighters, according to the responding agencies.
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“Critical fire weather conditions” forecast each day this week could spur the wildfires’ growth across the state’s Western Slope and mountains, according to the National Weather Service’s Grand Junction office.
As of Monday morning, red flag warnings had been issued for most of southwest Colorado, including the Paradox Valley, North Fork Valley, Gunnison Basin and Colorado River Basin, according to the Grand Junction office. The warnings will be in effect from noon to 8 p.m. Monday, with wind gusts up to 40 mph and humidity as low as 7% expected.
“These conditions will drive very high fire danger across the warned area,” weather service forecasters wrote in a fire weather alert. “Any new starts or established fires will likely spread rapidly under these conditions.”
Red flag warnings were also issued for Boulder, Chaffee, Clear Creek, Douglas, El Paso, Fremont, Gilpin, Grand, Jefferson, Lake, Las Animas, Park, Pueblo, Summit and Teller counties, according to the weather service’s Boulder and Pueblo offices. Forecasters said up to 45 mph wind gusts and as low as 7% humidity are expected in those areas.
Jump to: Snyder Mesa fire | Gold Mountain fire | Ferris fire | Air quality alerts
Snyder Mesa fire in Mesa County and Utah
Colorado’s largest wildfire is burning on nearly 30,000 acres on the Western Slope, near the Utah border, and has killed three firefighters, according to federal fire officials.
The Snyder Mesa fire started as four small fires — two in Utah and two on Colorado’s Western Slope. Utah’s Snyder Mesa and Jones fires spread across the Colorado border, merging and consuming the Knowles and Gore fires in Mesa County.
As of Sunday, the combined Snyder Mesa fire had consumed an estimated 29,152 acres with no containment, according to the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. That’s roughly 45 square miles.
As the wildfire spread into Colorado, the flames overtook five federal firefighters responding to the Knowles and Gore fires, according to the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, an agency created earlier this year to streamline firefighting and fire reduction across public lands.
The firefighters were caught in a “burnover incident” and deployed their shelters, but the wildfire killed three fire and injured two, U.S. Forest Service officials said. A burnover is when a wildfire overtakes firefighters or their equipment, leaving them no time to escape.
The firefighters who died were identified Monday morning by the U.S. Forest Service as 38-year-old Emily Barker of Michigan, 27-year-old Nick Hutcherson of Arizona and 27-year-old Sydney Watson of Alabama. An investigation has been opened into their deaths, federal officials said.
3 wildland firefighters killed in western Colorado identified
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency for the Snyder Mesa fire on Saturday and authorized the use of the National Guard to fight the blaze.
The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office asked people to evacuate the potential path of the fire and to turn on irrigation water to saturate the land. The Bureau of Land Management closed public access to lands it manages nearby, including the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area.
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.
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 Street.
Gold Mountain fire near Ouray
A wildfire burning near Ouray, a popular Colorado mountain town, multiplied in size on Sunday, consuming more than 4,000 acres, according to state officials.
The Gold Mountain fire sparked Saturday north of Ouray, forcing evacuations. It was first mapped at an acre on Saturday, grew to 572 acres by Sunday morning and had charred 4,217 acres as of that evening, according to the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. That’s roughly 6.6 square miles.
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“Extremely steep and rugged terrain” has made fighting the fire difficult, county officials said.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis issued a disaster declaration for the wildfire — which forced evacuations north of Ouray — on Sunday.
Mandatory evacuations included residents in and near Lake Lenore, Panoramic Heights, Redstone Road and Peck’s Trailer Park, as well as those living between the trailer park and Cedar Hill Cemetery, according to the Ouray County Sheriff’s Office. Pre-evacuation notices were also issued for residents living on Ouray County Road 17 from the Whispering Pines area to the Black Lake area.
The city of Ouray had not been evacuated as of Sunday evening, but sheriff’s officials said residents and visitors should be prepared for a pre-evacuation notice and start solidifying evacuation plans.
Evacuated residents can seek shelter at the Ridgway Secondary School, 1200 Green Street, according to county officials.
As of Monday 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
Three fires that sparked Saturday in southwestern Colorado’s San Juan National Forest have now merged into one, consuming more than 15,000 acres with no containment, according to federal officials.
As of Monday morning, the Ferris, Far Draw and Doe Canyon fires had scorched an estimated 15,888 acres — nearly 25 square miles — under the Ferris fire name, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Fire officials believe lightning sparked all three wildfires in the San Juan National Forest’s Glade area near Narraguinnep Canyon, north of Dolores, according to the Forest Service.
Mandatory evacuations were issued Sunday 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.
Dry, hot and windy conditions exacerbated the fires’ growth on Saturday and Sunday, and that weather is expected to continue throughout the next several days, San Juan Team Eight Incident Commander Brad Pietruszka said in Sunday’s operational briefing.
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. Tuesday, 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, Delta, Dolores, Eagle, Garfield, Gilpin, Gunnison, Grand, Lake, Mesa, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray, Park, Pitkin, San Miguel and Summit 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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This is a developing story and may be updated.
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