HINSDALE COUNTY, Colo. — Crews are fighting a new fire that sparked east of the Gold Mountain Fire on Thursday, according to Hinsdale County officials.
The fire, named the Elk Fire, has burned 30-40 acres as of Thursday at 10 p.m., according to Watch Duty. A 7:15 p.m. update from the county estimated the fire on the upper edge of the county west of Highway 149 and north of Lake City to be between 8 and 10 acres.
"Airtankers are dropping retardant on the fire," the county's 7:15 p.m. update said. "This has caused the fire to put out more smoke which has filled the valley. The wind is coming from the west which is also still bringing smoke from the Gold Mountain Fire near Ouray."
The fire was first reported around noon, and the U.S. Forest Service has been working the fire since then, the update said.
Aerial resources from the Gold Mountain Fire have also been assisting in the response, according to a post from the Gold Mountain Fire's incident management team.
Read the latest on the Gold Mountain Fire here.
This is a developing story that may be updated.
