Pine Gulch Fire Officially The Largest in Colorado History

Most of us expected this to happen but it is official now, the Pine Gulch Fire burning 18 miles north of Grand Junction is now the largest in Colorado’s history. This is according to the Pine Gulch Fire Facebook page where we have been receiving updates from the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team Type 1 Incident Commander Dan Dallas.

The fire has reached 139,006 acres and previously the largest wildfire in Colorado history was the Hayman Fire that burned 138,114 acres on June and July of 2002. The Hayman fire caused 5 deaths and was 35 miles northwest of Colorado Springs.

The good news about the Pine Gulch Fire is that it hasn’t resulted in any deaths. But it has been extremely difficult to fight as weather in our area has been horrible being so hot and dry making it very easy for the fire to continue to spread. The other large obstacle when battling this blaze has been the terrain in which the fire is located.

The Pine Gulch Fire first began back on Friday, July 31^st around 5:15 p.m. and was caused by a lightning strike. There are currently over 900 people assigned to fighting this fire and is 77% contained.

Between the Pine Gulch Fire and the Grizzly Creek Fire both burning right now people are being asked to limit their time outside, especially if they start feeling ill due to the air quality. And remember no drones are allowed to fly over the fire as there are lots of aircrafts that are working to help contain the fire. If drones are flying, those aircrafts must be grounded.

A huge thank you is owed to all personnel working the Pine Gulch Fire as well as everyone who is supporting these brave men and women who are trying to keep us safe.