ROUTT COUNTY, Colo. — The Fishhook Fire is expected to grow and Green Ridge Fire evacuations remain in place as the two fires near Steamboat Springs continue to burn on Monday.
The Fishhook Fire is burning around Rabbit Ears Pass in the Routt National Forest. Officials believe it sparked around noon on Sunday near the head of Walton Creek. As of the latest available mapping, it has burned 94 acres. It is 0% contained.
Fire officials reported that it is about one mile southeast of the ski resort and 1.5 miles north of Highway 40. The Steamboat Springs area will likely see and smell smoke in the area early this week.
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The Fishhook Fire grew overnight and more growth is anticipated on Monday, fire officials wrote on Inciweb. Four Type 1 helicopters worked around the fire on Sunday and more aerial resources are expected to work around the fire Monday since it is burning in a location that is difficult to access on the ground.
An incident management team was ordered to help with this fire.
Highway 40 remains open to drivers.
In addition, the 44-acre Green Ridge Fire is burning on private land south of Highway 40 and near Stagecoach Reservoir in Routt County. This fire also sparked on Sunday. The county reported that it had no grown overnight and containment has increased to 27%.
The below map from Watch Duty shows where each of these fires are burning compared to Steamboat Springs.
Evacuations are in place for the Green Ridge Fire. Click here for the most up-to-date interactive map showing current evacuations.
Below is a screenshot of the evacuation map as of 12:30 p.m. Monday.
Anybody who has been evacuated can go to SOROCO High School, located at 305 Grant Avenue in Oak Creek. The school is not an overnight shelter and is expected to close at 8 p.m.
No structures have been damaged or destroyed as of Monday afternoon.
Stagecoach Reservoir is closed for all boating as firefighting aircraft use its water to fight the Green Ridge Fire, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Campgrounds, the swim beach and day use areas are open.
The following roads are closed due to the Green Ridge Fire:
- Routt County Road 16 at 18A
- Routt County Road 212 just past Schussmark Trail
- Snowbird Trail
- Broken Talon Trail
- Broken Talon Way
- Lynx Basin Way
- Lynx Basin Lane
- King Fisher Lane
- Green Ridge Drive
- Mountain Meadows Drive
- Ute Trail
- Cheyenne Trail
- Los Ranchos Road
- Commanche Road
Monday is expected to reach about 95 degrees in Steamboat Springs, according to the National Weather Service. Winds are forecasted to stay light.
The cause for both fires is under investigation. Smoke from the fires may affect air quality across Routt County, according to the Routt County Sheriff's Office.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has verbally declared a disaster emergency in response to the Green Ridge Fire, which he said is threatening nearly 480 structures within a three-mile radius, on Sunday evening.
According to Steamboat Radio, Steamboat Resort has turned on its snowmaking machines to help with any possible fire threat.
Denver7 is monitoring both of these fires and will update this story as we learn more.
