Pine Gulch Fire Near Grand Junction Grows To 68,000 Acres
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (CBS4) - The Pine Gulch Fire that was started by lightning last month has grown to approximately 68,000 acres. On Thursday, containment remained at 7%.
On Thursday, officials released a fire progression map showing the daily growth of the fire. The perimeter data and acreage is from a flight Wednesday afternoon. The area in red indicates Wednesday's growth.
There are still a number of evacuations in the area -- about 18 miles from Grand Junction -- and smoke from the wildfire has prompted air quality warnings.
The fire was started by lightning on July 31. It's spreading to the northeast.
Evacuated areas are as follows:
- County Road 204/Roan Creek Road
- 211/Clear Creek Road
- 207/Carr Creek Road
- 209/Brush Creek Road
- A small number of homes on County Roads 200 and 202
Air quality issues will continue for a large segment of Colorado through at least Friday due to both the Pine Gulch Fire and the Grizzly Creek Fire near Glenwood Springs. Alerts are in effect for areas west of Vail and Rabbit Ears Passes including Routt, Rio Blanco, Garfield, Eagle, and Mesa Counties because of heavy smoke from the fires.