Colorado wildfires: Firefighters gain containment on 4 still-spreading Western Slope fires

Containment on the five wildfires burning across Colorado s Western Slope continues to grow fire leaders revealed Sunday The four still-spreading wildfires in western Colorado have largely slowed as firefighters increase containment around their borders and weekend rainstorms increase humidity Multiple fires saw overnight containment increases or are expected to see jumps in containment throughout the day Sunday according to fire officers The -acre Sowbelly fire which hasn t grown since last week was also contained Sunday fire representatives announced Three of the four proceeding fires were sparked by lightning during the same July storm The Sowbelly fire also started during that storm The fifth fire started in Utah and spread across the Colorado territory line Together the fires burning on Colorado s Western Slope have consumed nearly acres Jump to Turner Gulch fire Wright Draw fire Deer Creek fire South Rim fire A dog walks alone amid smoke-filled air from the Turner Gulch fire along Colorado north of Gateway on Wednesday July Firefighters stopped and rescued the dog Photo by Hyoung Chang The Denver Post Turner Gulch fire and Wright Draw fire near Gateway Colorado s largest wildfire which has burned more than acres is contained fire agents disclosed As of Sunday morning the Turner Gulch fire had burned acres a -acre increase from Saturday Containment did not increase overnight The majority of the containment lies along Colorado and the fire s northern edge Operations Section Chief Rob Powell disclosed in a Sunday morning briefing Crews on Sunday were working to clear brush and debris from residential areas north of the contained fire line Powell noted Colorado remains closed in both directions between Road and Road at mile marker according to the Colorado Department of Transportation I ve got particular really good news to description on Wright Draw Powell commented in the Sunday briefing On the next day s map we re going to start showing a lot of containment on the west side of the fire While the -acre Wright Draw fire hasn t grown much over the past scarce days it s yet to see any official containment because of how arduous it is for firefighters to access the burn area functionaries mentioned Crews headed out Sunday to solidify containment lines on the Wright Draw fire s western edge which is burning near the Turner Gulch fire on the opposite side of Unaweep Canyon Powell announced Rain in the area has increased humidity and slowed both fires spread but since it hasn t rained directly over the fires dry fuels remain fire officers announced Both fires are burning on a mix of dry trees brush and grass The Deer Creek fire burning across eastern Utah and western Colorado had scorched more than acres as of Sunday July Courtesy of Utah Fire Info Deer Creek fire near Paradox A more than -acre wildfire burning across parts of Colorado and Utah was contained Sunday morning up from Saturday according to fire authorities The Deer Creek fire which sparked in Utah on July had spread to more than acres of Colorado land as of Sunday morning fire administrators revealed It was last mapped on acres of Bureau of Land Management land in Colorado but is also maintained to have spread to several hundred acres of U S Forest Function land executives announced Related Articles Aurora -year-old on scooter hit killed by distracted driver Woman killed in southern Colorado boating accident New Superintendent Bret Heller considers future of Thompson School District Another drone sighting How Loveland police use drones At Camp Comfort Colorado children swim fish and grieve In Colorado the fire is mostly burning on land north of U S and south of U and T roads in Montrose County about miles west of Paradox according to federal maps The fire has scorched acres according to a Sunday morning update from fire agents Preponderance of the contained area is along the fire s western and southwestern edges in Utah More than people six helicopters five dozers and fire engines were battling the flames across the Utah-Colorado edge on Sunday In areas of the fire that are contained suppression repair programs have been initiated fire authorities stated in the update This includes the restoration of disturbed land from dozers and handlines Crews are working Sunday to build containment lines on the fire s southeastern edge in Colorado Operations Section Chief Jesse Schmidt mentioned in a morning briefing The South Rim fire burns in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park on July As of Sunday July the fire had scorched acres Photo courtesy of South Rim Fire Information South Rim fire near Montrose The South Rim fire burning in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park saw minimal overnight advancement again Sunday and fire administrators estimate it s contained As of Sunday morning the Montrose County wildfire had scorched acres up only one acre from Saturday night The containment is a increase from Saturday and more containment jumps are expected throughout the day Sunday Operations Section Chief Tyler Nathe stated in a Sunday morning briefing Flames continue to burn down into the bottom of Black Canyon which is too steep for firefighters to access directly but there s no threat for those to be coming back out and creating issues Nathe noted More than people six aircraft and fire trucks are battling the wildfire on Sunday according to fire leaders The fire has damaged or destroyed several buildings and other areas in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park That includes a welding shop the facility management building the Western National Parks warehouse and the South Rim campground The national park remains closed to the residents for the foreseeable future Multiple areas near the fire remain under evacuation orders including Bostwick Park according to the evacuation map Other closures include Colorado at the U S junction Blue Mesa Reservoir west of Middle Bridge and the Lake Fort Boat Ramp This is a growing 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