Colorado wildfires: Winds spur 'rapid fire spread' in Black Canyon's South Rim fire

Lauren Penington, The Denver Post on Jul 14, 2025

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DENVER — More than 7,000 acres of Colorado’s western slope have been destroyed by four lightning-sparked wildfires, according to fire officials.

Gov. Jared Polis issued a disaster declaration Sunday for the ongoing wildfires, as well as another large fire burning on the edge of Utah that could spread into Colorado.

The four currently burning in western Colorado were all sparked by lightning during the same Thursday storm and have continued to grow, Polis said in the disaster declaration.

State resources will join hundreds of firefighters already on the ground in three western Colorado counties to fight the wildfires.

South Rim fire in Montrose County

Heavy winds that swept through Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park on Sunday night started “rapid fire spread” after a relatively slow day of growth, according to fire officials.

The South Rim fire reached 3,633 acres Sunday night, a jump of only 77 acres from Saturday’s estimate of 3,556 acres, Incident Commander Nate Christiansen said in a video briefing.

That was mapped before the winds picked up, and it’s unknown how much the fire grew during the “rapid fire spread.”

Christiansen said the fire was “waking up” along the burn area’s southern edge and progressing toward Bostwick Park, a Montrose County community that remains under mandatory evacuation orders.

The South Rim fire evacuation zone is bordered to the west by Lateral Ditch Road, the north by Black Canyon, the south by U.S. 50 and the east by East Portal, according to a federal evacuation map. That includes M73, N73, N74 and O74 roads.

As of Sunday evening, more than 300 fire personnel were battling the flames and the fire was not contained.

Blue Mesa Reservoir west of the Middle Bridge is closed to all boating activities so aircraft can safely pick up water to dump on the fire, according to Curecanti National Recreation Area officials.

The Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 3 took command of the fire early Monday morning.

Wright Draw fire and Turner Gulch fire in Mesa County

The two wildfires on mountainous terrain in Mesa County have destroyed more than 1,200 acres, according to the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit.

More than 200 firefighters are battling the 1,020-acre Turner Gulch fire and the 228-acre Wright Draw fire, both burning southwest of Grand Junction, officials said in a Sunday night update.

More resources are expected to arrive in the coming days, fire officials said.

The Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1 took command of both Mesa County fires early Monday morning.

Homes along Colorado 141 between mile markers 120 and 124 were evacuated on Saturday, and land along the state highway between mile markers 124 and 131 remains in the pre-evacuation stage, according to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office.

Sowbelly fire in Montrose, Delta and Mesa counties

• Douglas County wildfires near Chatfield State Park 90% contained

• Wildfires ignite in Douglas County, add to damage from Western Slope blazes

• Douglas County wildfires prompt evacuations, spread over 3 miles

• Colorado wildfires: Gov. Polis makes disaster declaration for wildfires burning thousands of acres on western slope

• “Rapidly moving” South Rim fire in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park forces more evacuations

The Sowbelly fire on the edge of three western Colorado counties has burned more than 2,200 acres with no containment, according to the Bureau of Land Management.

As of Sunday morning, the fire had burned 2,251 acres in the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area, including land in Montrose, Delta and Mesa counties.

No size update was available after the wave of dry lightning that was expected to hit the area Sunday afternoon.

Deer Creek fire in Utah, Montrose County

A more than 10,000-acre fire burning in eastern Utah could cross the state border and spread into Montrose County.

The Deer Creek fire grew more than 1,000 acres Sunday, spreading from roughly 8,925 acres to 10,058 acres, according to a Monday morning update from Utah fire officials.

Fire officials have not confirmed if it spread into Colorado overnight, but Utah residents living in areas up to the state border are under mandatory evacuation orders.

The fire was included in Gov. Polis’s disaster declaration on Sunday.

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