COLORADO – Three large wildfires are ravaging the state Friday morning. The largest by far being the Pine Gulch Fire outside of Grand Junction. The fire grew to well over 69,000 acres yesterday and it’s still at 7% containment. Efforts to contain the flames are being hampered by windy and dry conditions.
The Pine Gulch Fire was started by a lightning strike on July 31st, and it’s now the fifth-largest wildfire in the state’s history. As of 6:00 a.m. Friday morning, the fire transitioned command between the Rocky Mountain Area Type 2 Team Black and The Rocky Mountain Area Type 1 Incident Management Team. More information can be found by clicking here
The Grizzly Creek Fire near Glenwood Springs blew up in size from Thursday to Friday, from over 6,200 acres to over 14,600 acres as of this morning. Numerous areas are under mandatory evacuation orders. The terrain and fuels in the northeast portion of the fire are making access difficult for firefighters north of I-70. The fire has also pushed East and has entered the Bair Ranch where evacuations were made.
I-70 is closed for an unestimated amount of time as a result of the fire. The lanes of the interstate are closed between Mile Posts 116 (Glenwood Springs) and 140 (Gypsum). The detours available will cost you time and they’ll take you well out of your way. Cottonwood Pass and Independence are now both closed after too many travelers attempted to use them as alternate routes. Neither of them is designed for heavy traffic or oversized vehicles.
Click here if you need more information on road conditions from CDOT
DETOUR ROUTES
– WESTBOUND I-70: Drivers can take US 285 to US 50, and continue west to Grand Junction. Travelers on I-70 can use CO 9 to US 285 south to US 50, or use CO 91 southwest to US 24 to US 50.
– EASTBOUND I-70: Drivers traveling from Grand Junction can use US 50 east to US 285 and continue to Denver. Motorists headed to areas west of Denver can also use the westbound detour in reverse.
For residents and businesses north of I-70, the following alternate routes are best:
– WESTBOUND: Motorists can connect to US 40 via CO 9 or CO 131. To continue to Grand Junction, take CO 139 south to I-70. CDOT advises commercial traffic to use CO 9 instead of CO 131, for safety purposes. Please note that while CO 13 is open at this time, it is not a recommended detour due to construction. Oversize commercial vehicles are not allowed on CO 13 due to construction.
-EASTBOUND: Near Fruita, motorists can travel north on CO 139 to US 40, then south on CO 131 or CO 9, returning to I-70. As stated above, CO 13 is not recommended due to construction.
The Cameron Peak Fire started Thursday afternoon and grew to over 1,500 acres in a mere four-hours. The fire is burning near Chambers Lake in western Larimer County and it’s forced evacuations and closed down roads in the area.
(VIDEO CREDIT: 9 NEWS-Denver)
The Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center says an air attack, a jump ship, and three helicopters, were called in to assist, but those efforts failed when high winds made flying impossible. a type 3 incident command team is fighting the fire.
Residents who have to evacuate can text LCEVAC to 888777 for updates. The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office is asking travelers to avoid going to Red Feather Lakes or Poudre Canyon because of the fire. To learn more about and receive alerts about the wildfire, mandatory evacuation areas as well as the voluntary evacuation areas, click here
