The Aspen Acres fire grew by another 2,000 acres to 93,634 acres, but forecasters said monsoonal moisture expected to arrive Wednesday could bring the first meaningful chance of rain to the fire area since the blaze ignited more than a week ago.
The fire burning in Pueblo and Custer counties is 16% contained.
The fire’s rapid growth has been fueled by exceptionally dry conditions across southern Colorado. With record-low snowpack and above-average temperatures, “it is no surprise that we are in severe to extreme drought in the communities that were affected by this fire,” Trent Smith, one of two incident meteorologists with the National Weather Service assigned to the fire, said during a briefing Monday evening.
Forecasters are watching for a potential shift beginning Wednesday, when moisture could bring scattered showers and thunderstorms to the area.
“It’s going to be hit or miss, but if we can get a good cell to go over the fire, it wouldn’t be unheard of to say a quarter or half an inch of rain falls,” Smith said. The storms could also bring more erratic winds.
The potential relief may be short-lived. After a brief window for rain, hot, dry and windy conditions are expected to return, Smith said.
Like other parts of the state, the region saw a fraction of its average precipitation levels during winter. Rye, near where officials believe the fire started, on average receives about 86 inches of snow annually, but only 39.6 inches have been recorded this year, Smith said.
Officials said Monday the fire has burned at least 263 homes — 185 in Pueblo County and 78 in Custer County.
Fire activity increased Monday near the Lefthand Fork of North Creek, pushing west toward Colorado 165, according to Alaska Complex Incident Management No. 1. Crews plan to engage with fire as it continues to move toward the highway and have started work to protect structures.
On the southern edge, firefighters are trying to slow the fire’s progression and build a new fireline to stop the fire from impacting Rye. The rest of the fireline from Rye to Colorado City is “looking secure,” the team wrote in an update Tuesday morning.
Most of the fire’s eastern edge is contained, but firefighters are focusing on flare-ups in the northeastern corner near Siloam Road and working to protect structures.
The National Interagency Fire Center map shows wildfires burning in Colorado.
Ferris fire
Wind gusts from passing storms also fueled the Ferris fire burning near Dolores on Monday, pushing flames toward containment lines, fire officials said. As of Monday evening, the fire was burning 51,622 acres and was 22% contained.
Firefighters installed sprinkler systems Monday to protect homes in case flames race past the primary fire lines, fire officials said. Crews are also using controlled burns along the rim of the Dolores Canyon to help build containment lines when conditions allow.
“By burning on our terms and on our timetable they are working to prevent the wildfire from roaring up from the main canyon below and sending embers ahead of the flame front,” federal fire officials wrote on the fire’s Facebook page. “By burning in daylight with lots of resources, we maintain more control over the situation than we would if we waited until nightfall.”
The fire’s southern and eastern edges remained calm as crews patrolled the lines looking for any lingering heat sources that could threaten containment.
Gold Mountain fire
The Gold Mountain fire burning near Ouray is burning about 31,240 acres, officials said Tuesday morning, up from a Monday evening estimate of 29,287 acres.
Nearly 930 firefighters from 34 states are assigned to the fire, which is 2% contained.
Today’s forecast includes another round of afternoon thunderstorms over the fire, which could bring erratic winds up to 20 mph and dry lightning, fire officials said.
Willow fire
Nearly 630 people are working the Willow fire burning near Leadville, which is estimated at 4,333 acres and 10% contained.
Smoke from the fire is affecting residents in Leadville, Twin Lakes and Buena Vista, and officials warn that air quality could reach unhealthy levels, particularly for older adults, children and people with respiratory conditions.
“It’s a good idea to limit outdoor activities, especially if you notice the air looks hazy or smells like smoke,” the Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program said in a Tuesday update. “Keep windows closed and use air purifiers if you have them.”
Air quality in the Twin Lakes area is expected to reach the “very unhealthy” category Tuesday, a level at which health experts advise everyone to avoid outdoor activity.
The cost of the firefighting operation, which began June 28, is about $6.9 million, Lake County Sheriff Heath Speckman said in a video Monday night.
U.S. Forest Service investigators and Colorado’s fire investigation unit are expected to visit the fire’s point of origin within the next week as they work to determine what sparked the blaze, Speckman said.
No injuries have been reported and no structures have been lost.
On Monday evening, some residents were allowed to return to their homes, but remain under a pre-evacuation warning and should be ready to leave if the fire’s behavior changes, officials said.