Rapidly growing wildfire sparks near ‘outdoor recreation capital’ of Colorado
More than 60 firefighters are on the scene of a wildfire burning in the Uncompahgre Wilderness located south of Chimney Rock and Courthouse Mountain, just 9 miles east of Ridgway and northeast of Ouray.
The Cow Creek Fire was first discovered on Wednesday, October 16, 2019, at approximately 7:00 a.m in Ouray County, which is home to Ouray, dubbed ‘the Switzerland of America’ and the ‘ Outdoor Recreation Capital of Colorado.’
As of 4:25 p.m Wednesday, the blaze has spread t0 85 acres. The cause of the fire is currently unknown.
Fire near cow creek/courthouse creek. #cowcreekfire pic.twitter.com/uqs33zAM0f — Steve House (@stevehouse10) October 16, 2019
Smoke is expected to be visible across portions of eastern Ouray County Wednesday evening through Thursday morning.
A new, rapidly growing wildfire in SW Colo has prompted an Air Quality Health Advisory for the #CowCreekFire in Ouray County. View more info on Advisories and Air Quality Conditions via CDPHE: https://t.co/PaQkiOm1qj #cofire pic.twitter.com/8LkOaidZG6 — CDPHE Air Pollution (@cdpheapcd) October 16, 2019
For updates on the Cow Creek Fire, click here.
This is a new wildfire and a developing story. Stay tuned for more information.