ROUTT COUNTY, Colo. — While crews have made significant progress on containing one of the fires burning in Routt County, the other continues to grow without containment.
The Fishhook Fire, burning near Rabbit Ears Pass southeast of the Steamboat ski resort, prompted pre-evacuations Tuesday on U.S. Forest Service land. The area does not include any homes, according to an alert from the county. The pre-evacuation alert is "in anticipation of a potential forest closure order and are not the result of increased fire activity," the alert said.
Recreational visitors are allowed to remain in the area.
The fire, which sparked Sunday, July 12, has grown to 229 acres and is 0% contained, according to a Tuesday morning update.
Highway 40 remains open, and the fire is about a mile from the highway, the update said.
The fire also prompted the closure of the ski resort's upper mountain above Thunderhead on Tuesday.
"Our teams are working with agencies responding to fire activity in the area and while there is no immediate threat to the Resort, we will be limiting access to the upper mountain as we continue to monitor the Fishhook fire located approx. 3 miles from the Resort boundary," the posting said.
Ground and aerial resources are being used to fight the fire, though officials say ground access to the fire is "difficult."
Meanwhile, the Green Ridge Fire, which has burned 45 acres southeast of Stagecoach Reservoir, was 45% contained as of Tuesday morning.
The fire, which also sparked Sunday, July 12, is burning near the Stagecoach neighborhood.
"Rapid response and aggressive initial attack are being credited for saving homes that were initially threatened," the incident management team commander wrote in a Tuesday morning update.
Evacuations and pre-evacuations remain in place for the fire, though evacuations in an area south of the fire were lifted Monday evening. For an updated evacuation map, visit this page.
The following roads are closed for firefighting operations:
- 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
An evacuation center is open at SOROCO High School, 305 Grant Ave., Oak Creek. It is not overnight shelter, but officials say anyone in need of overnight shelter should check in at the center. It has plenty of parking for campers and other vehicles, officials said.
