A wildfire in rough terrain near Grand Junction has grown to nearly 12,000 acres, and officials fear it could spread quickly in the next few days because of heavy dry vegetation paired with wind and hot temperatures.
Nearly 300 firefighters are fighting the Pine Gulch Fire, which was started Friday by lightning and has grown to 11,846 acres. Firefighting efforts have been hampered by the steep, rough terrain, and the thick dry vegetation feeding the blaze.
The fire is burning about 19 miles north of Grand Junction and is exhibiting “extreme fire behavior,” according to the Bureau of Land Management.
“The fire could easily align with the wind, slope and canyon,” an agency update on the fire reads. “High rates of spread are possible.”
The fire is about 5% contained, and smoke from the blaze is impacting nearby communities, according to the agency.
Roads into the remote area have been closed but no evacuations have been ordered.
Wildfire map
Click markers for details, use buttons to change what wildfires are shown. Map data is automatically updated by government agencies and could lag real-time events. Incident types are numbered 1-5 — a type 1 incident is a large, complex wildfire affecting people and critical infrastructure, a type 5 incident is a small wildfire with few personnel involved. Find more information about incident types at the bottom of this page.
Source: Read Full Article