Hot, dry weather is expected to continue Sunday as firefighters across the state are racing to contain the four major Colorado fires that ignited two weeks ago.
A high pressure system remains over western Colorado, and that means mostly sunny skies and very hot temperatures, according to forecasters at the National Weather Service office in Grand Junction.
“Heat advisories and extreme heat warnings remain in effect for portions of the forecast area,” forecasters said Sunday morning. “Some isolated to scattered showers and storms are possible across the Four Corners, San Juans and central mountains this afternoon.”
A combination of high winds, low humidity and dry fuels are setting up for another stretch of critical fire weather conditions forecast to last through the coming days, officials fighting the Willow fire near Leadville said. That fire was 25% contained as of Saturday evening.
The high pressure system is expected to bring hot, dry, and windy conditions to the Aspen Acres fire southwest of Pueblo, officials said Sunday morning.
“We’re looking at warmer, drier conditions today,” said Brad Washa of the Alaska complex incident management team Sunday morning.
Crews continue to slow the growth of the fire, which is the seventh largest in state history and has burned 98,100 acres. It is 35% contained, up slightly from Saturday’s report, as nearly 2,000 personnel are now working the fire.
“As temperatures and winds increase in the afternoon, fire activity is again expected to increase on the west side of the fire. Fuels remain extremely receptive to fire,” officials said in their Sunday morning report.
Here is a roundup of the other major fires burning in Colorado:
The National Interagency Fire Center map shows wildfires burning in Colorado.
Ferris fire
The fire in southwestern Colorado has consumed 63,271 acres and was 19% contained as of Saturday. It is now the ninth-largest fire in Colorado history.
The Bureau of Land Management on Saturday further restricted public access, shutting down all BLM-administered public lands south of the Dolores/San Miguel county line, east of Colorado 141 and north of County Road H.6.
Gold Mountain fire
With record heat expected in the region Sunday and early this week, fire officials working the Gold Mountain fire near Ouray are concerned about “reburn.”
The fire had scorched 35,601 acres as of Sunday morning, and containment is hovering at 5%, down slightly from Saturday.
Crews continue to secure the fire lines protecting U.S. 550 and County Road 12.
The potential for reburn is higher in the oak brush fuel type, officials said, as the shrubs shed leaf litter consumed during the initial burn. The dried out canopy could reignite with the right heat and wind conditions.
Willow fire
The fire burning west of Leadville is 25% contained and has burned 5,853 acres as of Sunday morning. Officials said containment has increased slightly and the fire lines along the north edge of the fire continue to hold.
The north edge of the fire is just south of Turquoise Lake, and fire crews used water drops in the area Saturday to hit hot spots in the steep terrain.
Leadville reached a high of 81 degrees Saturday, surpassing the 80-degree record set in 2003, officials said Sunday morning.
Weather remains a concern as high winds are forecast.
“You’re going to see an increase in smoke out there, and an increase in activity out there,” operations chief Nick Castro said during a weekend update about the continuing red flag warning conditions across the high country.
This is a developing story that will be updated.