Updated at 5:36 p.m. on Friday, July 11, 2025.
Find the latest information on the multiple wildfires across western Colorado here.
Lightning strikes started two fires in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park outside of Montrose Thursday morning and one continues Friday with 0 percent containment. All visitors and staff were evacuated and the park is closed until further notice.
The fires were on both rims of the narrow canyon that surrounds the Gunnison River. According to the nonprofit site WatchDuty, the South Rim fire has grown to 1,640 acres as of Friday morning. The North Rim fire, which was much smaller, was out as of Friday.
Naaman Horn, a public affairs specialist with the National Park Service Intermountain Regional Office, said, “one fire is building a pretty good column and growing quickly.” He warned that more evacuations were likely.
The NPS said high temperatures, very low humidity, gusty winds, and dry vegetation on the Western Slope have led to extreme fire danger at Black Canyon.
The National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings across much of western Colorado, warning of especially dangerous conditions on Thursday: “Any fire that develops will catch and spread quickly.”
The warning was in effect until 8 p.m. Thursday. The agency warns of gusting winds of 40-50 mph, which will then bring in a cold front and likely rain, to much of the southwestern part of the state.
Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect that the North Rim fire is out while the South Rim fire has grown.
