Evacuations remain in place in Montrose County on Sunday due to the South Rim Fire raging in Gunnison National Park. The fire grew by 500 acres overnight to 3,556.
Multiple state, local and federal agencies are responding, spraying retardant on infrastructure and vegetation, and using aircraft to try to control the fire.
Mandatory evacuations were issued Saturday by Montrose County for the Bostwick Park community in Montrose County, and residences on M73, N73, N74, and O74 roads. Residents were told to leave immediately.
Gov. Jared Polis declared a state of emergency Sunday afternoon, saying in a press release that, “Due to the dangerous fire conditions the Colorado Department of Public Safety is engaged on the fires … (and will) add resources to support local agencies as necessary.”
Officials said the main concern is preventing the fire from reaching “critical infrastructure,” which include a dam and power infrastructure.
Highway 347 is closed at the junction with US-50. All of the park is closed to the public until further notice. The National Park Service has also closed the west side of Blue Mesa Reservoir from Middle Bridge to assist firefighting aircraft, which are utilizing the reservoir for water resupply. There’s no reopening date set for Blue Mesa. The reservoir is closed for boating.
Meantime, the nearby Sowbelly fire in Delta and Mesa counties is currently at 2,251 acres, with zero percent containment. The Bureau of Land Management said the fire's terrain and location inside the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area are complicating efforts.
An evacuation warning is in place for residents down Escalante Canyon, where crews are working to secure the fire along the rim. Hot and dry conditions continue, with the possibility for more dry lightning in the area this afternoon.
Officials have set up a Facebook page for Sowbelly and South Rim fires, and a hotline: 970-240-1070.
Meantime, in Chaffee County, the sheriff's office is allowing a partial reentry into the Mountain View fire burn area. Residents must go to the evacuation center at 200 Steel Dr. in Buena Vista to get credentials to re-enter.
Several new fires have sparked in Mesa County, the Wright Draw Fire is 159 acres with an evacuation order for anyone along Highway 141 between mile markers 120 and 124. The Turner Gulch Fire east of the community of Gateway is 736 acres.
In an update posted Sunday, Tim Lavin, operations section chief with Greater Eagle Fire Protection District, said the goal was to protect structures in the area and prevent the fire from following the North Fork West Creek and expanding.
There is an emergency shelter set up at Clifton Community Campus.
An air quality alert remains in effect for all of western Colorado due to moderate to heavy smoke through Monday.
