The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) stated on X Thursday the current smell of smoke in the air in Boulder County is being carried over from western fires as a result of a thunderstorm that was incoming.
Several fires broke out Thursday morning and throughout the day in Western Colorado, including two fires at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park due to lightning strikes. The south rim fire is 1,640 acres and is 0% contained as of Thursday evening.
There is an active one acre fire northwest of Longmont called the Drummer’s Flat Fire. Smoke was reported southwest of Longmont, called the Nugget Hill Fire, but the BCSO said there was no fire and it has been deactivated from the Watch Duty fire map.
All employees and visitors have been evacuated from the Black Canyon in Montrose and it is closed until further notice. There was a new fire reported Thursday afternoon in Utah near the Colorado border west of Nucla, Colorado. The last update indicates the fire is 4,000 acres with 0% containment. There are at least three fires west of Delta, Colorado that also broke out on Thursday. There are over 6,100 acres on fire between the 4,000 acre Utah fire, the Black Canyon fires, and the fires west of Delta, Colorado.
The BSCO also stated that fires from outside of the state are contributing to the current smoke levels. There are at least five ongoing wildfires in Utah covering about 55,000 acres, with many of these fires at 50-80% containment. More fires are continuing to break out.
The latest fires were caused by high temperatures, low humidity, gusty winds, and dry vegetation. Montrose County, the location of the Black Canyon fires, remains in a Stage 1 fire restriction. As of Thursday afternoon, the air quality index for Longmont was 89, which is considered moderate air quality. That air quality rating has now dropped to 34, which is considered safe air quality.
Kody the WX Guy, a weather meteorologist and former volunteer firefighter, said the Black Canyon fire was becoming “plume dominant” Thursday afternoon in a Facebook post. “The fire we’re seeing right now is going plume dominant, and that’s not just a fancy term,” he wrote. “It means the fire is generating so much heat and vertical convection that it’s now creating its own weather. This is one of the most dangerous and dynamic phases of wildfire behavior, and I’ll be watching it closely.”
