Lightning strikes started two fires in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park outside of Montrose Thursday morning. All visitors and staff were evacuated and the park is closed until further notice.
The fires are on both rims of the narrow canyon that surrounds the Gunnison River. According to the nonprofit site WatchDuty, the South Rim Fire has reached 425 acres. The North Rim Fire is much smaller.
Naaman Horn, a public affairs specialist with the National Park Service Intermountain Regional Office, said, “One fire is building a pretty good column and growing quickly.” He warned that more evacuations were likely.
The NPS said high temperatures, very low humidity, gusty winds, and dry vegetation on the Western Slope have led to extreme fire danger at Black Canyon.
The National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings across much of western Colorado, warning of especially dangerous conditions on Thursday: “Any fire that develops will catch and spread quickly.”
The warning is in effect until 8 p.m. The agency warns of gusting winds of 40-50 mph, which will then bring in a cold front and likely rain, to much of the southwestern part of the state.
