Updated at 6:35 p.m. on Friday, July 11, 2025.
Find the latest information on the multiple wildfires across western Colorado here.
Several major fires continue to burn on the Western Slope, exacerbated by hot, dry conditions and a “hazardous weather outlook,” according to the National Weather Service.
On Friday evening, Montrose County ordered the evacuation of Bostwick Park residents and the K73 Trail. Highway 347 was closed.
Fires in Black Canyon
Lightning sparked a blaze at the South Rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park on Thursday morning. It more than tripled in size overnight to 1,640 acres and is at zero percent containment, according to Naaman Horn, a public information officer at the National Park Service.
The fire threatened the park’s visitor center, though crews managed to save it, according to Horn. The park remains closed to the public, and air crews continue to drop fire retardant on the wildfire.
The Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, Olathe Fire Protection District, and Montrose County Office of Emergency Management are responding to the fire.
A spokesperson for Montrose County, which manages the roads around the park, did not immediately return a request for comment.
Sowbelly Fire
In Delta and Mesa counties, the 2,192-acre Sowbelly Fire remains zero percent contained and is burning through thickets of pinyon pine and juniper. It was likely sparked by lightning strikes, according to the Bureau of Land Management, which is responding to the incident.
The fire caused a large smoke plume visible from Highway 50. BLM reports that the fire’s terrain and location are complicating efforts to put it out. Local crews and “smoke jumpers,” — highly trained wildland firefighters — are responding.
Mountain View Fire
The Mountain View Fire near Buena Vista is now fully contained at 60 acres, according to the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office. The Mountain View Estates neighborhood was ordered to evacuate Thursday night, and the Sheriff’s Office said two homes burned.
Chaffee County officials warned that containment did not mean residents could immediately return to their homes.
“Residents who have been evacuated will be unable to return back to their homes tonight,” they posted on Facebook Friday. “Responders will try hard to achieve conditions that will permit affected residents to return home tomorrow.” They warned that containment did not mean the fire was under control, and that notifications will be sent out as soon as the evacuation order is lifted.
Officials are working with the state fire investigator to determine the cause. The county has set up a relief shelter at the County Public Safety Complex at 200 Steele Dr, Buena Vista, where resources are available for evacuees.
Little Cimarron Fire
Additionally, a new fire sparked southeast of Montrose, the Little Cimarron Fire is now 50 acres. A massive fire is raging in southeastern Utah near the Colorado border in San Juan County. The Deer Creek fire is 6,516 acres. Roads are closed and evacuations have been ordered in a five-mile radius. Fox 13 reports that four homes have been lost.
Air quality alert issued in southwest Colorado
An air quality alert for “moderate to heavy” wildfire smoke remains in effect for a large swath of southwest Colorado through 9 a.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
Gillian Felton, a meteorologist with the Grand Junction National Weather Service office, said hot and dry conditions would persist over the weekend, including potentially triple-digit temperatures on pockets of the Western Slope.
Felton said scattered storms on the Western Slope this weekend could bring some gusty conditions and lightning strikes that could worsen wildfire risk. But, wind gusts over the weekend are likely to be less severe than Thursday, according to Felton.
CPR News' Corey Jones and Stina Sieg contributed to this report.
Editor's note: This is a developing story.
