GARFIELD COUNTY, Colo. — A nearly 300-acre wildfire in the Grass Mesa area of Garfield County has forced evacuations in some neighborhoods south of Rifle, authorities said Tuesday afternoon.
Colorado River Fire Rescue out of Rile said that the fire was first reported around 3:20 p.m Tuesday along Gage Road. It came in as a reported structure fire and was later corrected as a brush fire that was burning toward a structure.
"Upon arrival, firefighters found a rapidly spreading wildland fire being driven by strong winds to the east and southeast," the department said.
As of Tuesday evening, the fire — now called the Dry Creek Fire — has burned 288 acres and destroyed one residence and one outbuilding. Other structures and "gas infrastructures" are threatened, Colorado River Fire Rescue said.
The Garfield County Sheriff's Office said all homes in the following areas are under an evacuation order Tuesday afternoon, and the order will stay in place overnight:
- From Grass Mesa Road north to Gage Road
- On Sunset Lane
- North of milemarker 1 on Gage Road
All evacuated residents can go to the Garfield County Fairgrounds, the sheriff's office said. A pre-evacuation notice has gone out to residents on Grass Mesa south of Rodeo Drive and Coyote Trail.
"Due to the fire's growth and the threat to infrastructure, the Mountain Area Mutual Aid (MAMA) system was activated, bringing additional resources from Eagle and Pitkin counties to assist with suppression efforts," Colorado River Fire Rescue said.
Grand River Health, the local hospital, posted online saying they are monitoring conditions closely and the hospital's incident command team has a plan in place in case they need to evacuate. The winds are currently not moving in the hospital's direction, they said.
Crews in multiple firefighting aircraft are working to contain the blaze from the air, and authorities have requested more to respond.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Several counties on the west side of the state are under an air quality health advisory for wildfire smoke due to fires burning outside of Colorado. This includes Garfield County, as well as Mesa, Montrose, Delta, San Miguel, Dolores, Ouray, San Juan, Hinsdale, Mineral, Gunnison, Montezuma, La Plata, Archuleta, Saguache, Rio Grande and Conejos counties. This is in place until 9 a.m. Wednesday.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
