Smoke over Montrose and other Colorado counties caused by large wildfires burning in Utah and Nevada prompted a state air quality advisory for western Colorado on Wednesday as the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests announced Stage 1 fire restrictions will take effect Thursday because of persistent severe fire conditions.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued an air quality health advisory at 9 a.m. Wednesday for Montrose and 16 other western Colorado counties. The advisory remains in effect through 9 a.m. Thursday. The state said smoke levels could increase or decrease rapidly because of unstable atmospheric conditions.
Erika Story, public information officer for Montrose County, said most of the smoke affecting the Montrose area Wednesday morning was coming from the Cottonwood Fire burning near Beaver, Utah. Additional smoke is also coming into Colorado from the Iron Fire west of Price, Utah, and the Kane Springs and Grapevine fires in eastern Nevada.
The Cottonwood Fire, which started Monday in the Fishlake National Forest east of Beaver, had burned about 31,000 acres and remained 0% contained as of Wednesday morning. The fire prompted evacuation orders for homes and campgrounds and forced the closure of a portion of state Route 153. Extremely dry conditions and heavy fuels have contributed to rapid fire growth.
The Iron Fire near the central Utah town of Eureka had burned roughly 22,000 acres and also remained uncontained earlier this week after forcing mandatory evacuations. In eastern Nevada, the Kane Springs and Grapevine fires have burned thousands of acres and also remain largely uncontained.
Western Colorado is also dealing with its own wildfire activity. The Dry Creek Fire burning south of Rifle in Garfield County had grown to an estimated 315 acres as of Wednesday morning. Fire officials said evacuation orders remained in effect and were expected to continue throughout the day because of extreme fire behavior and forecasted winds that could test containment lines.
Management of the fire transitioned Wednesday morning to the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit Type 3 team. Crews are using both direct and indirect suppression tactics to slow the fire’s spread and build containment lines around the fire.
The CDPHE advised residents, particularly those with heart disease, respiratory illnesses, older adults and young children, to remain indoors if smoke becomes heavy in their area and to limit outdoor activity when moderate to heavy smoke is present. CDPHE said smoke has reached unhealthy levels if visibility in a neighborhood falls below 5 miles.
Meanwhile, fire officials are increasing precautions locally. Daniel Malta, public information officer for the GMUG National Forests, said no prescribed burns are currently underway. He said Wednesday that all of the GMUG is going into fire restriction mode.
Gunnison National Forest entered Stage 1 fire restrictions as of 12:01 a.m. Tuesday because of persistent severe fire conditions. The GMUG National Forests as a whole will go into the Stage 1 restrictions beginning Thursday. Stage 1 fire restrictions have been in place in Montrose County as of June 18.
Under Stage 1 restrictions, campfires are prohibited except within designated fire grates in developed campgrounds and recreation sites. Smoking is restricted to enclosed vehicles, developed recreation areas and other cleared locations, and the use of fireworks and other incendiary devices is prohibited on national forest lands. The restrictions are intended to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires during periods of elevated fire danger.
Justin Tubbs is the Montrose Business Times editor. He can be reached by email at justin@montrosebusinesstimes.com or by phone at 970-765-0915 or mobile at 254-246-2260.
