Firefighters hope potential rain will help contain Colorado fires

The lighting-caused Oil Springs FIre has burned 11,933 acres south of Rangely and prompted road closures and evacuations throughout the area.

Smoke can be seen in Rangely and Meeker and the fire continued to move where winds and terrain align on Tuesday. “Firefighters are still witnessing active fire behavior due to dry conditions, receptive fuels and wind,” according to the Bureau of Land Management.

The Sylvan Fire, located 16 miles south of Eagle, has grown to 3,752 acres with no containment as evacuation and pre-evacuation orders are still in place for parts of Eagle and Pitkin counties. Fire officials are hoping wetter weather later today will keep the fire from getting even larger.

The fire started Sunday and its cause remains under investigation. It has closed Sylvan Lake State Park and drawn over 200 firefighters. 

Showers and thunderstorms are likely, starting early Thursday afternoon and continuing in the evening, according to a news release from the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team. The chance of rain is over 50% and higher humidity is expected to “moderate fire behavior today,” the news release states.

“Even with favorable weather, firefighters were reminded that the dead and down fuels are very dry and will continue to burn,” the news release states. “With the addition of moisture, snags and heavy fuels on steep slopes pose an additional hazard.”

The Muddy Slide Fire, 18 miles west of Kremmling, has burned 4,056 acres and prompted Routt County to issue evacuation orders for residents on County Road 16 between mile marker 12 and mile marker 21, according to the National Forest Service. 

An evacuation shelter is located at Soroco High School in Oak Creek while the Hayden Fairgrounds in Hayden is taking livestock and the Routt County Humane Society at 760 Critter Court in Steamboat Springs will take pets. Residents are asked to call 970-879-1090 to ensure someone will be on site to take pets.