Winds are expected to weaken slightly on Wednesday, though elevated and critical fire weather will persist across Colorado as multiple large wildfires continue to burn.
A red flag warning will once again impact much of the Western Slope and southern Colorado through Wednesday evening. Fire weather watches are also in effect through Thursday evening, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) out of Grand Junction. Rain is unlikely this week.
Incident commanders at several of these fires said Tuesday that more resources are coming in, particularly assistance from out of state.
Denver7 has covered these wildfires in-depth each day this week. Here are our stories from Monday and Tuesday.
Below are the latest details on each of the wildfires currently burning in Colorado.
All of the below information on Colorado's wildfires will be updated as we learn more. All fire perimeter maps below are courtesy of Watch Duty.
Snyder Fire/Snyder Mesa Fire
- 📍Mesa County on Colorado-Utah border
- Size: 30,209 acres (as of Wednesday, 8 a.m.)
- Containment: 10% (as of Wednesday, 8 a.m.)
- Start date: June 26
- Cause: Lightning
Firefighters were able to gain some containment at the Snyder Fire burning in Mesa County on the Utah-Colorado line on Tuesday evening as activity was "relatively low," according to the incident management team. The Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit reported that lightning started this fire.
"Smoke from fires to the west have shaded out the Snyder Fire. When heavy smoke occurs over a fire area, it can diminish fire intensity by cooling temperatures and lessening wind gusts," the incident command management team said. "While there are scattered hot spots and some smoke production, fire activity on the Snyder Fire has decreased due to the lower wind speeds and the fire burning into rocky areas with little to no vegetation."
Pre-evacuations have been in place for the same area since June 28. It includes south of the Colorado River to BS Road (in the Glade Park area) and west of the Kingsview subdivision off Highway 340. There are no mandatory evacuations.
A map of this area is below.
Three firefighters died fighting this fire during a burnover incident on Saturday. They have been identified as Emily Barker, 38, Nick Hutcherson, 27, and Sydney Watson, 27.
Wildfire
Family grieves 'brave' and 'kind' firefighter killed in Snyder Fire
A community meeting is planned at the Glade Park Community Center on Thursday at 6 p.m. This will be livestreamed on the Snyder Fire 2026 Facebook page.
Emergency closures are in place along the Colorado River downstream of Fruita until the Utah state line. An operations section chief said Tuesday that they had to rescue almost 120 people over the weekend from the area. Anybody floating the Colorado River must end their trip at the Fruita boat ramp, as there are no river takeout points between Fruita and the Utah state line, officials said.
This closure is expected to last through the Fourth of July weekend.
Wildfire
120 people, 6 dogs, 1 cat rescued as Snyder Fire approached Colorado River
Mesa County Sheriff Todd Rowell stressed during a press conference on Monday that "this is not the time to start human-caused fire" as the Fourth approaches.
"We're going to have natural fires — we can't have human-caused fires," he said. "So, save your fireworks."
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis verbally declared a disaster emergency in response to this fire on Saturday, June 27.
Gold Mountain Fire
- 📍Ouray County
- Size: 14,960 acres (as of Wednesday, 7:30 a.m.)
- Containment: 0% (as of Wednesday, 7:30 a.m.)
- Start date: June 27
- Cause: Unknown; possibly a tree fell on a power line
Ouray County declared a state of emergency on Sunday, June 28 for the Gold Mountain Fire, which originated on U.S. Forest Service land two miles northeast of the City of Ouray. The wind-driven fire is burning in extremely steep and rugged terrain.
Fire crews are working to keep the flames from spreading closer to Ouray, the Lake Lenore area and US 550.
A red flag warning is in effect for this area on Wednesday. Winds will stay slightly weaker than previous days, but moderate to extreme fire behavior is still expected, according to an incident management team.
Evacuations have been in place since Sunday, with the last two added Tuesday:
- Lake Lenore and Panoramic Heights areas
- Redstone Road
- Peck’s Trailer Park
- Cedar Hill Cemetery, east of US 550
- Anybody recreating in the area of Cow Creek on U.S. Forest Service land past the intersection of County Road 12
- Lower Cow Creek, east of County Road 12 and County Road 12A to the Owl Creek U.S. Forest Service boundary
- Area east of US 550 north of County Road 8 and south of County Road 8A to the USFS boundary south to County Road 8B along Cow Creek
A pre-evacuation notice is in place from Whispering Pines to Black Lake neighborhood along County Road 17, according to the county. Gunnison County is also reporting a pre-evacuation notice for the area just north of Hampton Lake and Fish Creek Reservoir in the southwest part of the county. Click here for an interactive map of all current evacuations.
An evacuation center has been set up at the Ridgway Secondary School, located at 1200 Green St. in Ridgway.
On Tuesday, the fire was pushed east across the Cow Creek drainage, up Stealey Mountain, and northeast toward Owl Creek Pass, according to an incident management team. On Wednesday, crews will work to reinforce fireline on the south side of the fire to prevent it from moving toward Ouray. Steep terrain is limiting firefighters' abilities to reach the fire's edge on the west side.
More resources are coming to help on the north end of the fire, said Tyler Nathe, operations section chief with Rocky Mountain Team 3 at a community meeting on Monday evening.
At that same meeting, Scott Stearns, NWS meteorologist, said winds will decrease on Wednesday, with gusts only reaching 20 mph. Tuesday's wind reached 30-35 mph, he said. The forecast looks more favorable next week, but rain is still unlikely.
A two-mile stretch of Highway 550 is closed north of Ouray due to this fire. The San Miguel County Sheriff's Office is reminding drivers to not take Black Bear Pass, Ophir Pass or Imogene Pass as alternate routes to the highway.
The Ouray Volunteer Fire Department is responding to this fire and is accepting donations here. The Ouray County's emergency response team reports there is an immediate need for drinks, including bottled water, sodas, sports drinks and other non-alcoholic beverages. Here's how to help.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis verbally declared a disaster emergency in response to the Gold Mountain Fire on Sunday.
Willow Fire
- 📍Lake County, west of Leadville
- Size: 2,011 acres (as of Wednesday, 10 a.m.)
- Containment: 0% (as of Wednesday, 10 a.m.)
- Start date: June 28
- Cause: Unknown
On Sunday afternoon, the Lake County Office of Emergency Management announced evacuations for the Willow Fire, which is burning on U.S. Forest Service land south of Turquoise Lake and west of the City of Leadville.
It is about two miles northwest of the Leadville National Fish Hatchery.
Mandatory evacuations are in place for the following locations:
- County Roads 4, 9, 9D, 5A, 48, and 99
- All trails from the Fish Hatchery
- All campgrounds around Turquoise Lake
- All trails up to treeline and Colorado Trail sections in this area (search and rescue teams helped with this effort)
- Hagerman Pass
Pre-evacuation orders apply to homes in the Grand West area, Mountain View East and West, Turquoise Lake Estates, Silver Hills Subdivision, and homes on County Roads 9, 17, and 4. Another pre-evacuation zone was added for northeast Leadville. An evacuation center is located at the Colorado Mountain College Leadville campus.
A map of current evacuations is here.
▶️ WATCH: Denver7's Maggy Wolanske was in Leadville on Tuesday speaking with Sandy Booth, owner and operator of Andrew's Heavenly Horse Rescue, which is about 400 yards away from the mandatory evacuation line.
Multiple roads are closed in the area for first responders, including Turquoise Lake Road, Highway 300 at County Road 5 and County 5A (Fish Hatchery Loop), County Road 9 and County Road 99 intersection (Leadville Junction), and County Road 4 and County Road 48 (Turquoise Lake Dam entrance).
In an operational update posted online at 10 a.m. Wednesday, officials said they were able to install hose and portable water tanks to protect values at risk. Firefighters will build on this progress Wednesday, which will include constructing handline near the Leadville National Fish Hatchery and Turquoise Lake.
Firefighting aircraft will try to fly over the fire Wednesday.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis verbally declared a disaster emergency for this fire on Monday morning. Sign up for emergency alerts here.
Aspen Acres Fire
- 📍Custer and Pueblo counties
- Size: 28,362 acres (as of Tuesday, 9:30 p.m.)
- Containment: 0% (as of Tuesday, 9:30 p.m.)
- Start date: June 29
- Cause: Unknown
Several agencies are working around the Aspen Acres Fire burning in Custer and Pueblo counties, about 15 miles northwest of Colorado City.
At least 100 structures have been lost in this fire in Pueblo County, Pueblo County Sheriff David Lucero said in a press conference Tuesday afternoon. Custer County later posted online that they estimate 55 structures were destroyed in their county, mostly residential homes.
Fire crews are currently conducting damage assessments in the area and they will alert impacted homeowners once this is complete. The historic Horseshoe Lodge in Pueblo Mountain Park sustained significant damage, Sheriff Lucero said.
One firefighter was injured in Custer County on Monday, the sheriff's office said.
Firefighting aircraft flew — between eight and 10 were in the air at one point, Sheriff Lucero said — on Tuesday morning before winds grounded them.
The following areas remain under an evacuation order, as of Wednesday morning:
- Lazy Acres
- Bishops Castle
- 12 Mile Road
- S. Pines Drive
- San Isabel
- Rye
- Beulah (including 12-mile, North Creek, S. Pine Drive, Beulah proper and east to Waterbarrel Road)
- 3R Road to Crow cutoff
- 3R Road east to Water Barrel Road
- Burn Mill Road to I-25
A new pre-evacuation order was put in place Wednesday at 9:40 a.m. from Highway 78 to Highway 96, from the Town of Beulah east to Siloam Road, according to the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office.
An evacuation center is set up at the Pueblo County Recreation Center, located at 1650 Cooper Place. Pets are permitted. The center is in need of items for pets, including blankets, towels and wet cat food. An evacuation site for large animals is open at the Colorado State Fairgrounds. Rescue trucks are available to help — call 719-251-0245 for assistance. Donations of buckets and headlamps are welcome.
Highway 165 is closed from Highway 78 to the Pueblo County line at Lake Isabel.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis verbally declared a disaster emergency for this fire on Monday morning. Later that evening, FEMA authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for this fire.
Ferris Fire (includes Far Draw Fire & Doe Canyon Fire)
- 📍Montezuma and Dolores counties
- Size: 23,287 acres (as of Wednesday, 8 a.m.)
- Containment: 0% (as of Tuesday, 9:30 p.m.)
- Cause: All three suspected to have been started by lightning
The Ferris Fire began burning near Narraguinnep Canyon, about 15 miles northwest of Dolores, on June 27. The nearby Doe Canyon Fire and Far Draw Fire merged with the Ferris Fire, so the blaze is now being managed as the Ferris Fire. The suspected cause of the fire is lightning, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Stage 2 fire restrictions went into place for the San Juan National Forest on Wednesday, meaning all campfires are prohibited.
Fire officials said a fire line was constructed on the east side of the Ferris Fire on Monday, including a containment line to protect the Glade Ranch subdivision.
The Lone Dome Road, Bradfield Campground, the campground down Highway 504 to the McPhee Dam and Glade Ranch subdivision have been under evacuation orders since Monday. Anybody who evacuated is welcome to come to the Pleasant View Fire Station at 15235 Road CC.
Around 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, officials said that the day had "brought good progress earned by hard labor." Firefighters had dug fireline on the northeast edge of the fire to build a fireline north from the intersection of NFSR 240 and 514. Helicopters cooled the fire's edge on the southeast side to create a bigger barrier between the flames and private land.
"The noticeable smoke this afternoon has largely been from interior pockets of unburned fuel consuming in and around Narraguinnep Canyon," fire officials posted online.
Dolores Volunteer Fire & Rescue has responded to this fire and is accepting donations.
11 Fire
- 📍 Fremont County
- Size: ~100 acres (as of Tuesday, 10:45 a.m.)
- Containment: 30% (as of Tuesday, 10:45 a.m.)
- Start date: June 28
- Cause: Unknown
The 11 Fire began burning on the morning of June 28 around High Park Road and County Road 352A in Fremont County.
All evacuation orders and road closures for this fire were lifted at 6:40 p.m. Monday, the Fremont County Sheriff's Office said.
High fire danger will continue Wednesday through Friday, the NWS reported. A red flag warning is in effect for this area Wednesday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Big Sheep Fire
- 📍 Huerfano County
- Size: 1,144 acres (as of Tuesday, 8 p.m.)
- Containment: 50% (as of Tuesday, 8 p.m.)
- Start date: June 29
- Cause: Unknown
The Big Sheep Fire is burning west of Big Sheep Mountain and north of La Veta Pass in Huerfano County. It started on Monday.
The Huerfano County Sheriff's Office said multiple crews are on scene and a helicopter has been providing aerial assistance Tuesday. The office said overnight operations Monday into Tuesday were "successful."
That success continued into Tuesday afternoon and evening, when the county announced that the 1,000-acre fire was 50% contained.
The cause is under investigation.
The sheriff's office said Monday evening that the area "between the fire and Highway 69 and to Farisita" is under a pre-evacuation notice as a precaution.
The incident command team was released from this fire on Wednesday morning. The focus of Wednesday's operations is on two primary hotspots and any additional flare-ups, the county said.
Click here to sign up for alerts for this fire.
McCloud Fire
📍 Dolores County
Size: 113 acres
Containment: Unknown
Start date: June 28
Cause: Unknown
This fire is burning about four miles west of Cahone in Dolores County. Limited information is currently available. No evacuations are in place.
Dry Creek Fire (fully contained)
📍 South of Rifle
Size: 316 acres
Containment: 100%
Start date: June 23
Cause: Unknown
The Dry Creek Fire, which started burning on June 23, is fully contained. All evacuation orders were lifted on June 28 as of 8 p.m., according to Watch Duty.
