Colorado wildfires: Fire destroys structures and forces evacuations near Montrose

Updated at 10:16 a.m. on May 21, 2022

Cold, wet weather helped firefighters cap the Simms fire burn area and reach 15 percent containment. Read the latest on evacuations right here.

Our original story follows below.

A wildfire burning 15 miles southwest of Montrose has destroyed at least three structures on national forest land, the fire’s incident management team said Friday. 

At least 10 more uninhabited structures are threatened. Evacuations remain in place for people who live in Wild Cat Canyon, as well as those between Simms Mesa Road. and Government Springs Road, according to the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office. 

Cold, wet weather has helped cap the fire’s growth at 371 acres. But containment is still estimated at 0 percent, according to a statement from the U.S. Forest Service. 

“The fire is being aggressively suppressed,” the statement said. “Additional air and fire resources are on order.”

An evacuation assistance center has opened at Ridgway Secondary School. The address is 1200 Green Street in Ridgway.

The fire broke out Thursday evening in the Uncompahgre National Forest. The Forest Service conducted a controlled burn in the area on Monday with monitoring for the rest of the week. However, authorities have not confirmed how the fire started.