A lightning fire in western Eagle County is burning dramatically through steep, forested terrain near the Colorado River.
“There was significant growth on the Derby Fire last night,” Eagle County emergency managers say in a statement this morning. “Colorado River Road is closed to non-residents and non-emergency traffic. Please stay off the road to allow for a safe and effective incident response.”
In four days, the Derby Fire has grown from smoldering embers to an estimated 839 acres. Nearby Sweetwater Lake is under evacuation this morning, including portions of Colorado River Road. Homes on Derby Mesa Loop are under pre-evacuation.
The fire is burning through sparsely populated meadows and red-dirt mesas on the edge of the Flat Tops Wilderness. No structures are immediately threatened, but nearby ranchland is in the fire’s path. The local CSU Extension office is evacuating horses and livestock.
The fire was spotted by air the morning of Aug. 17 at Derby Mesa, located about 15 miles north of Dotsero. It began as small plumes of smoke, but immediately firefighters saw its dangerous potential, sending four helicopters to soak “burning debris rolling down the steep terrain” in a “remote area with substantial fuel.”
“Initial attack efforts by smokejumpers on Sunday were hindered by rollout of burning material, repeatedly igniting the slope below the main fire,” reads a report on InciWeb, the Federal wildfire monitor.
The fire is 0% contained this morning. Smoke is visible from the Colorado River near Dotsero and I-70 west of Gypsum.
Photos courtesy U.S. Forest Service and InciWeb.