Wildfires scorch Colorado as crews race to fortify containment lines 6%
By Justin George5%
7/19/2026, 6:36:34 PM
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From steep ridgelines above Rye to forests west of Leadville and county roads outside Lake City, firefighters are deploying air attacks, digging dozer containment lines and repairing roads and drainage as they wish for monsoons to come wash away this still‑young fire season.
The state’s largest wildfire, the Aspen Acres fire, northwest of Rye in Custer and Pueblo counties, has scorched 100,400 acres and is 61% contained.
It began June 29.
Firefighters have been making significant progress in recent days, impeding the fire’s path with firing operations or controlled burns that reduce the amount of fuel between the active part of the fire and control lines or barriers firefighters have dug.
Four water-scooping helicopters and seven Type 1 Black Hawk-type choppers have been dropping water on the southwest side of the fire, preventing the fire from spreading beyond containment lines.
Millset Ridge is an anchor point for a defensive line that firefighters have drawn to stop the fire from spreading south and west.
Just north of Rye, along Millset Ridge, new hotshot and hand crews were inserted to help “hang onto that piece of ground” and stop the fire from encroaching further south and west, Ben Wagner, operations section chief for the Aspen Acres fire, said in a video update Sunday morning.
“The reinforcements “did a lot of good work” Saturday working with multiple super scoopers dropping water all day, he said.
“We’re just continuing to carry the fight up there,” Wagner said.
The front lines of the fight along the ridge are so steep, rugged and remote, fire crews have had to use helicopters slinging in 55-gallon drums of fuel for bulldozers creating fire containment lines — because there’s no other way to get fuel in.
Northwest, near Mingus Ranch and Round Top Mountain, “things are looking really, really good,” Wagner said.
Controlled burns have done “exactly what we wanted it to.”
Crews are able to get in and mop up any active spots.
Further north near the Greenwood and Wetmore areas, conditions are even better.
Firefighters have started doing “suppression repair” on the scorched earth.
That involves minimizing soil erosion and repairing drainage paths impacted by the fire — and the tree thinning and bulldozing lines created by firefighters.
“It helps us make sure that if we get a big rain event and flash flooding that we can maintain the integrity of roads and ditches to be able to divert and channel that water and not cause more damage,” Wagner said.
Firefighters are similarly going around homes and other buildings in areas deemed safe to do suppression repair, as well, to proactively protect them from possible flooding.
Warm, dry weather is expected to continue through Monday, fire officials said in a statement.
Temperatures of between 78 degrees and 82 degrees are expected with humidity at 23 to 27 percent and gusts of up to 24 mph.
“Fire spread rates are expected to increase in areas of dry grass and brush, increasing the likelihood of burning,” fire officials said.
Firefighters at some parts of the Gold Mountain fire’s perimeter “have exceeded expectations” and anticipate finishing fire containment lines a full day ahead of schedule, fire officials overseeing firefighting operations said in a statement.
The Gold Mountain fire, which began June 27, has scorched 37,809 acres northeast of Ouray.
It is 13% contained.
“As fire activity continues to cool in the southwest area where containment is already in place, resources are shifting into standby for initial attack across the planning area,” fire officials said.
Adam Ziegler, operations chief with Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 2, said the south end of the fire is “looking good.”
Fire crews have not found any sources of heat in the area in two to three days.
The brunt of the firefight is on the northwest side, where bulldozers are creating containment lines.
Further north, firefighters have already dug in lines and are continuing to thin forest and dead trees, prepping the area for any northern advancement.
“Where we’re out ahead of this fire, they’re able to spend extra time to make sure those lines are ready to go,” Ziegler said in a video update Sunday.
On the west side, where the fire is more active, firefighters are trying to push the fire into a rocky area above the East Fork drainage, limiting the spread.
Fire crews are creating containment lines along County Road 858 near Silver Jack Reservoir.
Containment of the Ferris fire increased to 83% Saturday, thanks to rain and high humidity that helped limit its growth, fire officials said in a statement Sunday.
The fire began on June 27 and has burned 64,881 acres.
“Wet conditions delayed the start of field operations, but firefighters continued making steady progress by removing equipment from the fireline, completing suppression repair and rehabilitating roads impacted during firefighting efforts,” they said.
Crews are mostly focused on repairing roads and clearing drainage, prepping for rains and flash flooding.
“Firefighters will continue retrieving excess hose and remaining equipment from the fireline, complete road grading and repair work where weather conditions allow and locate and extinguish any remaining isolated pockets of heat,” fire officials said.
Firefighters are bracing for growth of the Willow fire Sunday due to drier weather.
Air and ground crews continue to add depth to fire containment lines from the northwest and around the Leadville National Fish Hatchery, according to a statement fire officials posted Sunday.
Hotshot crews are working in the Mount Massive Wilderness, taking out hot spots.
The fire, located outside Leadville, is 37% contained.
It began June 28 and has burned 7,103 acres.
Eli Pfoutz, Southwest Area Team 1 planning operations section chief, said in a video update on Sunday that hand crews and fire engines have begun arriving to help fight the blaze, which has burned 347 acres and is not contained.
Fire management officials have been studying access routes and planning methods of attack, Pfoutz said.
They have also been communicating and coordinating with firefighters from local agencies including Routt County, Steamboat Springs and the U.S.
Forest Service.
Crews are working on the perimeter of the Fishhook fire, doing “hot-spot, cold-trail” work, where they extinguish patches and look to thin brush and vegetation or create containment lines around the edges, Pfoutz said.
“They’re putting their hands in the ash,” he said.
“They’re putting in line as appropriate to cut off any of that heat to stop it from advancing.”
Equipment including hose and pumps are coming in from across the nation and are being delivered to firefighters, often on ATVs to get around the rugged terrain.
“We do anticipate containment in the near future,” Pfoutz said.
The Elk fire has burned 2,274 acres north of Lake City.
It is not contained.
Cooler temperatures and between 0.05 and 0.1 inches of rain helped stop the fire from growing on Saturday.
Firefighters are focused on protecting and prepping buildings and homes in Lake City and have built containment lines on the north and west sides of the town.
Sunday, a hotshot crew and two wildland fire crews will join firefighters to improve containment lines and help with planning.
Emergency officials have scheduled a public informational meeting for Lake City and surrounding residents on Monday at 6 p.m. at the Lake City Community School.
The meeting will be livestreamed through the Hinsdale County Facebook page.
Scott Stanton, an operations chief for Northwest Team 8, said in a video update Sunday that firefighters are prioritizing protecting Lake City as they continue to monitor the fire and anticipate its next moves.
Firefighters said rains from monsoon weather patterns could help with efforts next week, but the risk of fire spreading remained high.
“Fire season is still young.
There’s a lot of fire season left, this is far from over,” Stanton said.
“Just remember that.
Be safe out there.”
This is a developing story that will be updated.
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