GRAND COUNTY, Colo. — Mandatory evacuations were issued Friday night as the East Troublesome Fire, located north of Parshall and Hot Sulphur Springs, continues to grow rapidly. The blaze had grown to more than 11,000 acres as of Saturday morning.
Mandatory evacuations were issued for the Sheriff Creek/Kinney Creek area due to the growth of the wildfire. Saturday morning, the Grand County Sheriff's Office issued an evacuation notice for both sides on Hwy 125 from mile 5 to the Grand County-Jackson County line. The highway is closed near Granby due to the fire. The closure is located from Granby, and continues north to mile post 27.
The town limits of Hot Sulphur Springs and Granby are not under pre-evacuation or evacuation orders, Sheriff Brett Schroetlin said in a Facebook post Friday night. An evacuation center has been established at the Inn at SilverCreek in Granby.
The Grand County Sheriff’s Office issued pre-evacuation orders Friday afternoon for the area immediately north of Granby between Highway 125 and U.S. 34. An additional pre-evacuation order was issued for the area to the east of Highway 125, to the west of Highway 34 about 8 or 9 miles up, and to the south just outside of the River Run subdivision, excluding that subdivision.
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“Please have all necessary items ready to go, such as a change of clothes, extra pair of shoes, prescription meds, identification, wallets, cash, water and snacks. Don’t forget your pets and their food, bowls and meds. If you have livestock to evacuate, do so now while you have time. If you do not feel safe, you can evacuate on your own,” the sheriff’s office said.
People who are evacuating are asked to register with the Grand County Office of Emergency management by clicking here. The latest updates can be found on the East Troublesome Fire's Facecbook page and on Inciweb.
U.S. Forest Service officials on Friday closed down a large portion of the public lands north of Hot Sulphur Springs east to Grand Lake as the fire continues to grow rapidly, with red flag warnings in the area into Saturday.
The forest closure includes the Troublesome area west of State Highway 125 and north of Willow Creek Pass, as well as public lands east of the U.S. 125/U.S. 40 junction to U.S. 34 and north to Grand Lake, fire officials said. A full list of closures can be found here, and a map of the fire can be found embedded below.
The East Troublesome Fire started around the Grimes Peak area on Wednesday and grew quickly on Thursday.
On Friday, the fire was burning toward the east and northeast and was putting off heavy smoke as it grew near the Elk Mountain Trailhead and the boundary between the forest’s Parks and Sulphur ranger districts.
Fire officials said winds are expected to gust up to 35 miles per hour in the area of the fire Friday into Saturday after the fire moved at a speed over 3-4 miles per hour on Thursday and spotted ahead of its edge.
The fire is expected to continue burning eastward into dead and fallen Lodgepole Pines.
Firefighters and aircraft worked to anchor in on the southwestern edge of the fire Thursday and plan to work on the line toward the southeast Friday and into the weekend.
Crews working the southeast portion of the fire are scouting areas they can bring in heavy equipment to help fight the fire, but downed trees have remained an obstacle. There were 82 personnel working the fire as of Friday.
Shoshana Cooper, the Sulphur District Ranger, said that the forest closure was put in place for the public’s safety and that officials would work to reduce its size as soon as possible.
For the latest on the several wildfires still currently burning in Colorado, click here.