I-70, Eagle County mountain pass closed as wildfires grip Colorado’s Western Slope
The Grizzly Creek fire continued to burn along Interstate 70 five miles east of Glenwood Springs and kept the roadway shut down as firefighters worked to contain the blaze Tuesday, officials said.
Evacuations have been issued for the Coulter Creek area, according to a tweet from the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office.
The interstate between Glenwood Springs and Gypsum was shut down with no sign of reopening as more than 120 firefighters worked to build a containment line around the fire, which had burned 3,200 acres as of Tuesday.
Cottonwood Pass Road in Eagle County is closed until further notice, according to a social media post by Colorado State Patrol. Cottonwood Pass Road is a mountain pass between Glenwood Springs and Gypsum.
Officials are asking motorists to not use Cottonwood and Independence passes as detours.
Residents in No Name and Lookout Mountain were evacuated Tuesday, according to Garfield County Sheriff’s Office.
Firefighters focused on creating containment lines around the No Name drainage and north side of the Colorado River on Tuesday, but the rugged landscape limited the areas where firefighters could safely work on the ground, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Air support is also being used.
The cause of the Grizzly Creek fire remains under investigation.
Firefighters prepped to protect nearby structures should the fire reach them.
Firefighters also evacuated campers and other people outdoors from Coffee Pot Road and areas near Hanging Lake.
Another West Slope blaze, the Pine Gulch fire 18 miles north of Grand Junction, reached 36,449 acres Tuesday.
That fire started July 31 by lightning, officials said.
A team of 589 firefighters worked to contain the blaze. One abandoned structure was burned Sunday afternoon in the Kimball Creek drainage.
The fire, which is moving south, was 7% contained as of Tuesday.
The Garfield County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation order for residents on Roan Creek (204) road, Clear Creek (211) road, Carr Creek (207) road and Brush Creek (209) road on Sunday night.
Garfield County issued an evacuation order for residences on County Road 202 on Saturday. A closure is in effect on Roan Creek Road (204) at Kimball Creek Road (202), according to the Sheriff’s Office.
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The Grizzly Creek fire is fought from the air.
Photo courtesy of Carbondale Fire_Jenny Cutright
People float down the Colorado River as smoke billows from the Grizzly Creek fire in Glenwood Canyon just east of Glenwood Springs, Colo., Monday, Aug, 10, 2020. (Chelsea Self/Glenwood Springs Post Independent via AP)
An air tanker drops fire retardant slurry on the ridge directly above No Name after the Grizzly Creek Fire broke out inside Glenwood Canyon just east of Glenwood Springs, Colo., Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. (Chelsea Self/Glenwood Springs Post Independent via AP)
Smoke billows from the canyon walls as the Grizzly Creek Fire explodes in Glenwood Canyon just east of Glenwood Springs, Colo., Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. (Chelsea Self/Glenwood Springs Post Independent via AP)