Hot, dry and windy conditions in western Colorado have officials looking at long-term plans to fight numerous fires

On July 10, lightning strikes ignited fires on both the north and south rims of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, leading to the entire park’s evacuation. Hot weather, gusty winds and dangerously low humidity helped fuel the fire’s growth, leading to more evacuations Saturday. The fire has been dubbed the South Rim Fire

Crews are fighting five western slope blazes, including one at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. See the latest map of the Colorado fires.

Montrose residents meet with officials for a Public meeting; Montrose School District provides space for the Incident Command Center.

A fire-fueled thunderstorm cloud can form on top of a wildfire’s smoke plume, allowing the plume to grow vertically very quickly, Neil Lareau, a scientist and professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, told the Sacramento Bee in 2018.

The Turner Gulch fire burning southwest of Grand Junction in western Colorado exploded overnight, more than quintupling in size and forcing new evacuations.

With large wildfires continuing to burn in Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis on Sunday issued a disaster declaration for fires burning in Montrose, Delta, and Mesa counties. More than a dozen wildfires were burning on