A wildfire that sparked near Rye on Monday morning prompted emergency evacuations, the latest in a growing number of blazes burning across Colorado as high winds, extreme heat and dry conditions fueled dangerous fire behavior.
The fires mark the first widespread wildfire activity of the summer in Colorado, where a stretch of hot, dry and windy weather has created dangerous burning conditions across much of the Western Slope and high country.
The entire town of Beulah was ordered to evacuate at 9:15 a.m. Monday, following an earlier evacuation order for residents near the Aspen Acres neighborhood. Two fires are burning in the area, one near the subdivision along Highway 165 and another near Lake Isabel, according to the Custer County Sheriff’s Office.
State resources were en route to help fight the Aspen Acres fire, estimated at 362 acres Monday morning, but high winds could delay or ground their response.
“Wind speeds are extreme,” the sheriff’s office said in an update posted on its Facebook page.
The National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings Monday for several southwestern Colorado counties, including Custer County, as critical fire weather conditions heightened the risk of rapid wildfire growth.
“Critical fire weather conditions forecast each day this week could spur the wildfires’ growth across the state’s Western Slope and mountains,” forecasters at the National Weather Service office in Grand Junction said.
While winds are expected to be less severe than the weekend, gusts between 25 and 35 mph are forecast Monday, and up to 45 mph gusts Tuesday. Smoke from nearby and distant wildfires will reduce visibility in many parts of the state, the weather service warned.
“Exercise extreme caution and take all precautions due to these very dry conditions. Rapid spread of fire is possible,” forecasters said.
As of Monday, multiple fires burning on the Western Slope had scorched more than 43,000 acres.
The largest fires burning Monday include:
Snyder fire
Three federal firefighters were killed while battling the Snyder fire burning on the Colorado-Utah border. Federal officials estimated the fire at 28,000 acres, Monday morning.
The fire, which started in eastern Utah, crossed the border and merged with the Knowes and Gore fires in Mesa County to form the Snyder fire. Flames raced across drought-parched land west of Fruita and Grand Junction in the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area.
Gov. Jared Polis on Saturday afternoon declared a disaster emergency and authorized Colorado National Guard support.
Red Rock fire
Crews working the Red Rock fire, near Debeque in Mesa County, were tested Sunday by strong winds but kept the fire from growing, fire officials with the Colorado Upper River Interagency Management Unit said, estimating the fire at about 341 acres.
The lightning-caused fire was reported Saturday and is burning on federal lands about 12 miles northeast of Grand Junction on the Book Cliffs near Red Rock Canyon.
As of Sunday, the fire was 60% contained. Fifteen engines, four water tenders, three hand crews, a suppression module, a dozer and a Type 2 helicopter were working to control and suppress the flames, the management unit said.
Gold Mountain fire
The Gold Mountain fire has burned 4,000 acres in steep, rugged terrain northwest of Ouray, as of Sunday evening.
The fire, which ignited Saturday, prompted evacuations of multiple neighborhoods, closed U.S. 550 through town and led the county to declare a state of emergency. The fire damaged a communications tower, which cut off most cell service in the area.
A cell booster was installed near city hall Sunday evening, but officials urged residents to limit their communications to “essential phone calls and text messages” and avoid streaming video.
Polis declared a disaster emergency Sunday afternoon for the Gold Mountain fire. The declaration activates the Department of Public Safety, the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the Division of Fire Prevention and Control to support Ouray County’s emergency response and take responsibility for response, recovery and mitigation work on the fire.
The fire started on private land and its cause remains under investigation.
Stage II fire restrictions are in effect for the county, prohibiting any open fires including camp fires, charcoal grills and woodburning stoves.
Ferris fire
The Ferris fire burning in Dolores and Montezuma counties has scorched about 10,000 acres, according to officials with the San Juan National Forest. There is no estimated containment.
The fire merged Sunday with the nearby Doe Canyon fire, which is estimated at 1,046 acres. Officials are referring to the combined incident as the Ferris fire, and its total acreage will be updated as more precise mapping is completed.
Crews are scouting the area for safe areas to fight the fire, focusing on protecting homes in the Glade Ranch subdivision and establishing a helispot at the Bradfield Campground. The San Juan National Forest has issued several closures to roads and trails as firefighters work the fire.
Willow fire
The Willow fire started Sunday afternoon near the base of Mount Massive in Lake County and evacuations were quickly put in place for campers and hikers near Turquoise Lake west of Leadville.
As of Monday morning the fire had burned more than 1,100 acres, and roads, campgrounds and trails around the lake are closed and being evacuated. The fire quickly moved nearly 2 miles after starting around 4 p.m. June 28, officials said Monday. The cause remains under investigation.
Evacuation and preevacuation orders are in effect, according to the Lake County Office of Emergency Management. Monday morning the county said little had changed overnight.