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Fire closes portions of I-70, US 6 in Colorado mountains

The fire started after a crash on Highway 6 Thursday afternoon.

EAGLE COUNTY, Colo. — Portions of Interstate 70 and US 6 in Eagle County were closed Thursday due to a wildfire sparked by a crash, the Colorado Department of Transportation and firefighters said. 

All lanes of Interstate 70 were back open Thursday night. CDOT said, but a safety closure for U.S. 6 was expected to be in place overnight.

CDOT said the fire caused heavy smoke on the interstate. 

The Colorado State Patrol said the crash happened around noon on Highway 6 near mile marker 155, between Eagle and Wolcott. It involved a dump truck and an SUV, troopers said. The driver of the SUV was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. There's no word on the condition of the dump truck driver. 

Troopers said the dump truck caught fire and went into the river. The crash ignited dry grasses in the area, sparking the fire, the Eagle River Fire Protection District said. The district said there no evacuations were ordered for the area. 

New Fire: 🔥 Resources are responding to the #EagleRiverFire off of Hwy 6 near Mile Marker 155, between Eagle and...

Posted by Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit on Thursday, September 7, 2023

An alternate route CDOT recommended added about 2.5 hours of travel time compared to using I-70.

#EagleRiverFire

Posted by Eagle County PIO on Thursday, September 7, 2023

This is a developing situation. This article will be updated as information is confirmed.

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