Colorado wildfire explodes in size over 24 hours
The Cow Creek Fire burning in Ouray County grew over 6 times in size compared to initial reports released on Thursday morning.
According to GMUG Fire Information, the fire grew to 655 acres over the last 24 hours, with 0% containment.
As strong winds whipped embers from the main fire on Thursday afternoon, three spots fires ignited at the western base of Courthouse Mountain. Firefighters are continuing to battle the blaze as it burns rapidly through mixed conifer in the Uncompahgre Wilderness area of the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests, located just 9 miles east of Ridgway.
The fire was first discovered on Wednesday, October 16, 2019, at approximately 7:00 a.m. The cause of the blaze remains unknown.
Helicopters at the Cow Creek Fire: Above: Helicopters at the Cow Creek Fire October 17, 2019. Photo by the incident management team. Two helicopters working on the 655-acre Cow Creek Fire were photographed at the helibase October 17, 2019. The ship… https://t.co/O8jyQSsnqd #Fire pic.twitter.com/5nSoflojL6 — Incident Media (@InciMedia) October 18, 2019
Smoke will likely be visible from the following counties including Mesa, Delta, Montrose, Ouray, Gunnison, Saguache, San Miguel, Hinsdale, Garfield, and Eagle.
Several U.S. Forest Service roads are closed within the area. Temporary flight restrictions are also in effect. For updates on the Cow Creek Fire, click here.