Several major wildfires continued to burn across Colorado on Monday.
The fires have collectively burned more than 304 square miles, fueled by abnormally dry conditions and hot weather that are part of a 20-year shift in Colorado’s climate toward greater aridity.
Click here to skip to a specific fire: Pine Gulch fire | Grizzly Creek fire | Cameron Peak fire | Williams Fork fire | Lewstone fire | Thorpe fire | Wildfire map
John Wark, Special to The Denver Post
The Pine Gulch wildfire burns north of Grand Junction, Colorado on Thursday evening, Aug. 20, 2020.Pine Gulch
Updated as of 9:57 a.m.
The Pine Gulch fire grew to 133,783 acres overnight, or about 209 square miles, as containment held at 44% Monday morning.
It remains the second-largest wildfire in Colorado’s recorded history, although it is close to overtaking the largest recorded fire, the 2002 Hayman fire, which burned 137,760 acres, or 215 square miles, and destroyed hundreds of buildings and homes.
With the fire’s spread to the east stopped, firefighters are now shifting their focus to the northwest parts of the fire, and will work to establish indirect control lines, particularly in an area between the 256 Road and the 266 and 267 Roads. The area might see thunderstorms Monday, which could bring increased wind and lightning, but are unlikely to bring significant rainfall.
About 900 people are fighting the Pine Gulch fire, which was started by lightning July 31 and is burning about 18 miles north of Grand Junction.
Grizzly Creek
Updated as of 9:55 a.m.
Both the size and containment of the Grizzly Creek Fire grew slightly overnight Sunday, with the blaze burning 30,719 acres, or about 47 square miles, and containment increasing from 30% to 33%.
Evacuations were lifted Sunday evening for residents of No Name, who can return home but should remain vigilant, according to the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office.
On Monday, crews expect to see increased fire activity, and will focus on controlled burns near the Bair Ranch area and to the south. Existing control lines are holding, fire officials said.
Interstate 70, which had been closed between Glenwood Springs and Gypsum for two weeks, reopened in a limited capacity Monday, with authorities telling drivers to expect slower speeds through the canyon. Drivers also will not be allowed to stop along that stretch of interstate because of the ongoing danger of mudslides or rockfalls.
About 811 people are working the fire, which is burning in Glenwood Canyon about 1 mile east of Glenwood Springs. The cause of the fire, which started Aug. 10, is unknown.
Cameron Peak
Updated as of 9:38 a.m.
The Cameron Peak fire reached 20,118 acres Monday morning, or about 31 square miles, and remains 0% contained.
Firefighters on Monday planned to focus on structure protection, indirect suppression activities and on preparing for a controlled burn along Colorado 14 to the Rawah Divide. On Sunday, the fire grew to the southeast toward Peterson Lake and moved north of the West Fork Tunnel area.
The fire is expected to grow on all sides Monday because of the wind and terrain, and is expected to continue to spread along Long Draw Road and toward Rocky Mountain National Park, which has closed some areas because of the blaze.
About 722 people are working the fire, which is burning in Larimer County about 15 miles southwest of Red Feather Lakes. The fire started Aug. 13 and the cause is unknown.
Williams Fork fire
Updated as of 8:58 a.m.
The Williams Fork fire grew slightly to 11,048 acres, or 17 square miles, Monday morning and remains 3% contained.
Firefighters on Sunday made progress preparing containment lines on the west and southwest portions of the fire. Controlled burns are planned for either Monday or Tuesday, depending on weather, to remove vegetation between those containment lines and the main front of the fire, which will reinforce the containment, fire officials said.
Residents could see increased smoke as those controlled burns are carried out.
About 312 people are fighting the fire, which was started by humans on Aug. 14 and is burning about 7 miles southwest of Fraser.
Lewstone fire
Updated as of 9:07 a.m.
The Lewstone fire did not grow much overnight Sunday, according to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office. The 165-acre blaze was about 12% contained Monday morning.
About 180 firefighters are working the blaze, which is burning northwest of Fort Collins between Colorado 14 and Rist Canyon. Aircraft will provide additional support Monday.
Thorpe fire
Updated as of 9:09 a.m.
Authorities on Monday revised down the estimated size of the Thorpe fire, which started Sunday afternoon and forced the evacuation of two subdivisions in Park County.
Aircraft mapping shows the blaze is about 83 acres, not 150 acres as first thought, authorities said Monday.
Crews made progress establishing fire lines overnight Sunday and will continue to reinforce those lines Monday, fire officials said. Evacuations of the Webber Park subdivision remain in place, and campers along Forest Service Road 227 and 231 as well as County Roads 31 and 44 have also been evacuated.
About 50 people are working the fire, which is burning about two miles southwest of Tarryall and is 0% contained. The cause of the fire is not known.
Wildfire map
Click markers for details, use buttons to change what wildfires are shown. Map data is automatically updated by government agencies and could lag real-time events. Incident types are numbered 1-5 — a type 1 incident is a large, complex wildfire affecting people and critical infrastructure, a type 5 incident is a small wildfire with few personnel involved. Find more information about incident types at the bottom of this page.
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Colorado wildfires update: Latest on Pine Gulch, Grizzly Creek, Cameron Peak, Williams Fork, Lewstone and Thorpe fires - The Denver Post
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