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Colorado wildfire roundup: New ignitions slow as Western fires set to grow

No new major fire ignitions sparked across Colorado on Friday as thousands of firefighters continued to build fire lines on existing fires ahead of forecasted worsening conditions.

Evacuations expanded for the 62,930-acre Ferris fire in Dolores County toward the Utah state line as a large ready status order stretched into San Miguel County, officials first order for the county under this fire. At 19% containment, crews continued work on Friday to build containment lines northwest and southwest of the fire, according to officials.

In Hinsdale County, firefighters began battling a new fire within 20 miles of the 33,185-acre Gold Mountain fire with 7% containment in Ouray County, where crews gained some containment on Thursday. It is the 10th-largest fire in Colorado history.

There, firefighters were prioritizing property protection while the fire continued to expand to the northeast and has shown “mostly smoldering and creeping behavior” elsewhere on Friday, according to the Gold Mountain Fire Protection District.

Around the Ferris and Gold Mountain fires, hot, dry weather is expected to worsen on Saturday and last through Monday.

Firefighting crews conduct firing operations on the Gold Mountain fire in Ouray County on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (Courtesy of InciWeb)
Firefighting crews conduct firing operations on the Gold Mountain fire in Ouray County on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (Courtesy of InciWeb)

Nearly all of western Lake County remained on some type of alert status on Friday as the Willow fire continued to burn miles from Leadville.

Officials there say worsening conditions will put their containment lines to the test through the weekend. Rainfall on Wednesday and Thursday aided firefighting in reaching 22% containment on the 4,466-acre blaze.

Some evacuation orders for the Aspen Acres fire in southeast Colorado were lifted on Friday, officials announced. The fire’s 97,083-acre perimeter ranks as the seventh-largest in state history, and it has damaged 851 structures.

Meanwhile, firefighters gained 80% containment on the 1.5-acre Rock Creek fire burning on Cheyenne Mountain in El Paso County. Drones will fly over the fire until it is fully out, while crews continue to extinguish hot spots.



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