{"id":2121,"date":"2026-06-29T17:34:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T17:34:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2121"},"modified":"2026-06-29T17:34:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T17:34:56","slug":"colorado-wildfires-trio-of-uncontained-fires-in-western-part-of-the-state-consume-nearly-50000-acres-trigger-evacuations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2121","title":{"rendered":"Colorado wildfires: Trio of uncontained fires in western part of the state consume nearly 50,000 acres, trigger evacuations"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Three wildfires burning in western Colorado have consumed nearly 50,000 acres \u2014 roughly 78 square miles \u2014 and killed three firefighters, according to the responding agencies.<\/p>\n

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\u201cCritical fire weather conditions\u201d forecast each day this week could spur the wildfires\u2019 growth across the state\u2019s Western Slope and mountains, according to the National Weather Service\u2019s Grand Junction office.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese conditions will drive very high fire danger across the warned area,\u201d weather service forecasters wrote in a fire weather alert. \u201cAny new starts or established fires will likely spread rapidly under these conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s Boulder and Pueblo offices. Forecasters said up to 45 mph wind gusts and as low as 7% humidity are expected in those areas.<\/p>\n

Jump to:<\/strong> Snyder Mesa fire\u00a0|\u00a0Gold Mountain fire\u00a0|\u00a0Ferris fire | Air quality alerts<\/p>\n

Snyder Mesa fire in Mesa County and Utah<\/h4>\n

Colorado\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

The Snyder Mesa fire started as four small fires \u2014 two in Utah and two on Colorado\u2019s Western Slope. Utah\u2019s Snyder Mesa and Jones fires spread across the Colorado border, merging and consuming the Knowles and Gore fires in Mesa County.<\/p>\n

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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\u2019s roughly 45 square miles.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The firefighters were caught in a \u201cburnover incident\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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3 wildland firefighters killed in western Colorado identified<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n