PARACHUTE, Colo. — The Spring Creek Fire burning southwest of Parachute in western Colorado had grown slightly to 2,925 acres on Thursday morning, fire managers said.
The Spring Creek Fire is burning about five miles southwest of Parachute near Interstate 70. The fire started over the weekend, and fire managers said it grew to more than 3,000 acres Monday. Updated mapping Thursday morning showed the fire perimeter is 2,925 acres. The fire is 20% contained.
Fire managers said the fire saw significant growth Monday afternoon due to hot and dry conditions, and increased winds caused a significant smoke column. They said no structures were threatened by the fire, and no evacuations have been ordered.
Smoke from the fire was visible across Colorado on Monday, including in the Denver area. There was so much smoke on Monday night that satellites caught the plume spreading all the way to the Front Range.
Red Flag Warnings were issued by the National Weather Service in Grand Junction on Thursday for most of western and southwestern Colorado.
While eastern Colorado has been the beneficiary of an exceptionally wet spring, western Colorado was mostly been shut out from the recent rainfall. Grand Junction has only seen 4/10ths of an inch of rain since the start of May, about a third of what they typically average over that time.
Spring Creek Fire
An incident management team said as of Tuesday morning, eight crews, 25 engines, air resources including helicopters and retardant delivery aircraft, and more than 300 personnel were working the fire. Additional support was ordered and continues to arrive, the team said Wednesday.
Spring Creek Road and High Mesa Road are open to local traffic only. Fire managers asked people to avoid the area so fire personnel can access the roadways.
Residents were asked to sign up with Garfield County emergency notification at GarCo911.com to get the latest updates. All evacuation orders will be conducted through the Garfield County Sheriff’s office with current evacuation information being listed at 970-981-3401.
The Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit Facebook page is providing updates as new information is available.
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