Two large wildfires are under control on the Western Slope after forcing people to evacuate and shutting down major roads in areas where drought conditions are severe.
The Hilltop fire near Rifle was declared 100% contained Saturday night after igniting Thursday and burning about 325 acres , according to the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office.
The fire sparked Thursday afternoon near Rulison and quickly spread with high temperatures and wind, authorities said.
One house and an RV were destroyed by the fire, which moved south and east from its initial ignition point, the sheriff’s office said. Between 20 to 25 households were evacuated, but those were lifted Saturday. The fire’s cause is still under investigation.
Another fire burning near the Colorado-Utah border was at 60% containment Saturday evening after shutting down U.S. 40 Thursday. It has scorched about 750 acres, according to updates Saturday.
The Horse Draw fire was reported Thursday north of the highway in Moffat County and burned grass, sagebrush, pinyon and juniper, authorities said on Inciweb, a federal wildfire database.
Because of extreme fire behavior and rapid spread, officials shut down U.S. 40 as fire and smoke make it difficult for drivers and wildland firefighters to see. The highway reopened Thursday night.
About 60% of Colorado is facing drought conditions, including a large swath of western Colorado, according to the latest map released by the U.S. Drought Monitor. Mesa, Delta and Montrose counties are all facing extreme drought conditions.
Stage 1 fire restrictions went into effect Friday for a number of Western Slope counties, including Mesa, Garfield, Summit and Eagle counties.
A pair of small brush fires in Gypsum were likely started Sunday by cars driving on Interstate 70 with dragging chains, which can spark wildfires along the side of the highway, Vail Daily reported.