Fire near Ouray

[goingup]

Watch Duty is now reporting a 3 acre fire on Mount Massive

Watch Duty reports this fire is currently over 1000 acres.

Currently, any fire that ignites where there is fuel is going to blow up and move northeast at a rapid pace. I climbed a 12er in the Sneffles range on Saturday and the wind was some of the worst I have ever experienced, today too. 50 mph gusts here in Montrose. My garden is decimated and our air quality is horrible. The three fire fighters tragically lost their lives in the Snyder Fire on the Utah/Colorado border which merged with the Jones fire and is currently around 30,000 acres burning near the McInnis Conservation area. I highly suggest that anyone who plans to recreate in or around a forest have the watch duty app downloaded and emergency notifications on for the area that they are in. Have a plan. I was working in Louisville in December 2021 when the fire broke out. It happens fast and it is terrifying.

[greenonion]

Watch Duty is now reporting a 3 acre fire on Mount Massive

Watch Duty reports this fire is currently over 1000 acres.

Currently, any fire that ignites where there is fuel is going to blow up and move northeast at a rapid pace. I climbed a 12er in the Sneffles range on Saturday and the wind was some of the worst I have ever experienced, today too. 50 mph gusts here in Montrose. My garden is decimated and our air quality is horrible. The three fire fighters tragically lost their lives in the Snyder Fire on the Utah/Colorado border which merged with the Jones fire and is currently around 30,000 acres burning near the McInnis Conservation area. I highly suggest that anyone who plans to recreate in or around a forest have the watch duty app downloaded and emergency notifications on for the area that they are in. Have a plan. I was working in Louisville in December 2021 when the fire broke out. It happens fast and it is terrifying.

Very wise. Thank you. Need to adjust on my plans possibly

[Scott P]

Im on the road to the Wilson group via Kilpacker and have a buddy already there. Any thoughts on if we should bail on the plans over the next 2 days? He said this morning was fairly clear but obviously things change.

The fire and wind will be moving the other direction but the smoke might be really bad from the Utah fires. Another one started yesterday is is already putting smoke in that area.

[justiner]

This Mount Massive fire is terrible. Not only is it threatening the town of Leadville, it doesn't sound like the greatest thing for health of the Fish Hatchery or the headwaters of the Arkansas. It's closed part of the trail for the CT and CDT indefinitely. It's very close to the Leadville 100 course and the Outward Bound School. It's shut down Turquoise Lake.

If this is free a campfire that was left smoldering I'm gunna be pissed. Lake County was already in Stage 2 Fire Restrictions.

[cottonmountaineering]

This Mount Massive fire is terrible. Not only is it threatening the town of Leadville, it doesn't sound like the greatest thing for health of the Fish Hatchery or the headwaters of the Arkansas. It's closed part of the trail for the CT and CDT indefinitely. It's very close to the Leadville 100 course and the Outward Bound School. It's shut down Turquoise Lake.

If this is free a campfire that was left smoldering I'm gunna be pissed. Lake County was already in Stage 2 Fire Restrictions.

seems like where the fire started it was most likely lightning, but we'll see

[Kiefer]

Yesterday evening in Montrose, it looked like a Saharan Dust Storm. We watched the Willow Fire (Leadville) BLOW UP in like 30 minutes from Turner Peak yesterday. It was insane how fast & aggressive it grew.
The Gold Mountain Fire (Ouray) did indeed start by trees falling on a power line. The winds on the Western Slope have been insane.

Hinsdale County held an emergency meeting yesterday to discuss going to Stage II restrictions. At this rate, most of Colorado will be in Stage III by mid-July. Can't say I'm thrilled with that premise, but it's hard to recreate in the forests we love when the forests aren't there anymore.

Ouray Fire.jpeg

Taken from Cerro Summit east of Montrose

Ouray Fire- Keene.jpeg

Picture of the Ouray Fire taken by Jimmy Keene (Silverton photographer) from Red Mountain Pass

Leadville Fire.jpeg

Taken from above Cottonwood Pass yesterday afternoon

Watch Duty is an excellent fire resource to have to track.

[supranihilest]

Please be safe out there, folks. In conditions like this be more cautious than you normally would. Conditions can change faster than you can outrun them. Don't be afraid to change or cancel your plans entirely. These are not the conditions to mess around in. The mountains will still be there after the fires.

Gold Hill fire yesterday afternoon, looking up near Cutler Creek.

20260628_135843.png

[cottonmountaineering]

Yesterday evening in Montrose, it looked like a Saharan Dust Storm. We watched the Willow Fire (Leadville) BLOW UP in like 30 minutes from Turner Peak yesterday. It was insane how fast & aggressive it grew.
The Gold Mountain Fire (Ouray) did indeed start by trees falling on a power line. The winds on the Western Slope have been insane.

Hinsdale County held an emergency meeting yesterday to discuss going to Stage II restrictions. At this rate, most of Colorado will be in Stage III by mid-July. Can't say I'm thrilled with that premise, but it's hard to recreate in the forests we love when the forests aren't there anymore.

Ouray Fire.jpeg
Taken from Cerro Summit east of Montrose

Ouray Fire- Keene.jpeg
Picture of the Ouray Fire taken by Jimmy Keene (Silverton photographer) from Red Mountain Pass

Leadville Fire.jpeg
Taken from above Cottonwood Pass yesterday afternoon

Watch Duty is an excellent fire resource to have to track.

thanks for sharing the photos, i imagine we might run into the scenario we did in 2020 where national forests were closed due to the fire risk. realistically eventually everything needs to burn (or in populated areas mitigated) for us to get to a healthier forest