The Denver Post
(TNS)
The growth of one wildfire burning on Colorado’s Western Slope has slowed to a crawl, but four others continue to scorch thousands of acres, fire officials said.
Three of the four spreading fires in western Colorado were sparked July 10 during a lightning storm. The 2,274-acre Sowbelly fire, which hasn’t grown since Monday, was started by the same storm.
Together, the wildfires across Montrose, Delta and Mesa counties had burned at least 23,718 acres as of Thursday morning.
Turner Gulch fire and Wright Draw fire near Gateway
The largest wildfire burning in Colorado, the Turner Gulch fire, had scorched 15,071 acres in Mesa County as of Thursday morning, fire officials said.
That's more than half the burn area from all the wildfires active on Colorado's Western Slope combined.
Extreme drought, steep terrain and hot, dry weather continue to challenge firefighters as the fire rapidly spreads, according to federal officials.
Those conditions are similar to those of the deadly South Canyon fire in 1994 near Glenwood Springs, which killed 14 firefighters, fire behavior analyst Glen Lewis said at a community meeting Wednesday for the Turner Gulch and Wright Draw fires.
The Wright Draw fire, burning across Unaweep Canyon from the Turner Gulch fire, reached 448 acres Wednesday, fire officials said. A size update was not available Thursday morning.
Both lightning-sparked fires are burning along Colorado 141, which remains closed between 7.40 Road and 16.10 Road at mile marker 124, according to state transportation officials.
Land surrounding Colorado 141 from mile marker 120 to mile marker 134 and the Divide Forks Campground Area remain under mandatory evacuation orders Thursday, according to Mesa County sheriff’s officials. The stretch of state highway between mile markers 134 and 137 remains under pre-evacuation orders.
Deer Creek fire near Paradox
Increased cloud cover, light rain and less erratic winds helped slow the spread of a wildfire burning on the Utah- Colorado border Wednesday night, fire officials said.
The Deer Creek fire is burning on 15,655 acres of land between Colorado and Utah, according to a Thursday morning update from Utah fire officials.
Most of the active fire is spreading in eastern Utah, but flames have burned 1,746 acres of Bureau of Land Management land in Colorado, fire officials said.
It crept into Colorado near Paradox in Montrose County earlier this week, just north of Colorado 90.
Federal fire maps on Thursday showed that the wildfire was burning on a section of Colorado land more than two miles long and wide.
Fire crews are staged along Colorado 90 and in Paradox, fire officials said Thursday morning.
Rimrocker Trail at Q13 Road and Good Road, U5 Road at the turn for the Buckeye Reservoir and X2 Road all remain closed for fire activity, according to Montrose County officials.
Difficult weather conditions capable of producing rapid fire spread are forecast to continue over the next several days, with afternoon thunderstorms and wind gusts up to 60 mph possible, fire officials said.
South Rim fire near Montrose
The wildfire burning on more than 4,000 acres of land in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park has consumed 85% of the park's south rim, fire officials said.
As of Wednesday night, the South Rim fire had burned 4,179 acres with no containment, according to federal fire maps.
Evening rain showers, higher humidity and lower temperatures helped slow the fire's growth overnight, according to a Thursday morning update from the Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 3.
Mandatory evacuations remain in effect for nearby homes and trails, including the Bostwick Park area.
Black Canyon remains closed to the public with no timeline to reopen, and all campground reservations have been canceled for the rest of 2025.
A section north of U.S. 50 along Colorado 347 and an area between Rawhide Gulch and the Montrose Reservoir remain under pre-evacuation orders, according to a map created by Montrose County officials.
Resources fighting the fire Thursday include 458 people, 23 fire engines and five aircraft, including helicopters and scooper planes capable of picking up 1,412 gallons of water in 12 seconds.
Curecanti National Recreation Area is open to the public, but the Blue Mesa Reservoir remains closed so aerial crews can access and use the water, fire officials said.
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