A new wildfire sparked north of Craig on Friday grew to 6,500 acres in a matter of hours, according to the Bureau of Land Management and Moffat County Sheriff’s Office.
The Iron fire was burning on an estimated 6,504 acres as of 8 p.m., according to BLM fire maps. The burn area is a mix of private ranch land and BLM land, according to Moffat County property records. Information on whether structures were threatened by the fire was not immediately available.
The fire was first reported at 11:56 a.m. and early updates from the Moffat County Sheriff’s Office estimated the fire at only 170 acres, but high winds caused the fire to spread, said BLM Colorado Communications Director Steven Hall.
The cause of the fire is unknown and fire crews did not achieve any containment late Friday, according to the BLM.
Crews are working to suppress the fire, Hall said. Resources fighting the fire include eight small-engine air tankers, two helicopters, fire engines, BLM crews and Moffat County motor graders, according to the sheriff’s office.
The fire is burning in tall grass and sagebrush in a burn scar from 2018, according to the sheriff’s office.
The National Weather Service’s Grand Junction office issued a Red Flag Warning for most of the Western Slope through Saturday night, with gusty winds, low humidity and dry fuels expected. A Red Flag Warning means weather conditions that can contribute to extreme fire behavior are occurring or will soon, according to the agency.
Winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts of up to 45 mph are forecasted.
This is a developing story.
