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THURSDAY FIRE UPDATES: New evacuations with new fire activity on east end of Glenwood Canyon; lengthy I-70 closure anticipated

Grizzly Creek Fire situation from Incident Command

Size: 6,251 acres

Containment: 0%

Hand Crews: Six, 20-person

Helicopters: 6

Engines: 11

Water Tenders: 1

Dozers: on order, as well as feller bunchers and other logging equipment

Total Personnel: 238

Location: Glenwood Canyon

Started: Aug. 10, 2020

Cause: Under investigation

Management:

Great Basin Type 1 Team (Adell)

UPDATE 8:30 p.m. Thursday — The Garfield County Sheriff has ordered new evacuations for Bair Ranch, Sweetwater and the Coffee Pot Springs area. Dotsero is on pre-evacuation notice, but there are no orders for Gypsum at this time.

Currently, the evacuation site is the Gypsum Recreation Center.

UPDATE 6:20 p.m. Thursday — The fire has now established in the Devil’s Hole drainage on the south side of the Interstate and Colorado River, about half a mile from the Hanging Lake Tunnels, according to the latest from fire command. “Firefighters are accessing the fire and (determining) how to engage it safely. Helicopters continue to do bucket work.”



#GrizzlyCreekFireUpdate The fire has established in the Devil’s Hole drainage on the south side of the Interstate and…

Posted by Grizzly Creek Fire on Thursday, August 13, 2020

UPDATE 5:15 p.m. Thursday — Fire command reports a new spot fire to the south of Interstate 70 in Glenwood Canyon, one mile east of the Shoshone Power Plant. Type 1 heavy helicopters are working this new spot fire.

A new map has also been generated by Eagle County Emergency Operations Center that gives a better idea of the current fire area and evacuation zones to the south.



The Grizzly Creek Fire area is outlined in red, and showing the hottest points of the fire in red. The light orange zones to the south are the No Name, Lookout Mountain and upper Spring Valley/Cattle Creek evacuation zones, and the purple area is on pre-evacuation alert.
Eagle County Emergency Operations

UPDATE 4 p.m. Thursday — Here’s a little insight on the reasons for the extended Interstate 70 closure through Glenwood Canyon from the Grizzly Creek Fire command.

“Fire continues to be on both sides of the Interstate, which can cause debris to roll into the road creating safety hazards to the public,” according to an afternoon post on the Grizzly Fire Facebook page. “Firefighting equipment is also frequenting the corridor. We continue to access the roadways and will inform the public as soon as it can be opened safely.”

Interstate 70 in Glenwood Canyon, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020.
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MID-MORNING THURSDAY UPDATE

From Incident Command: Today’s weather and fire behavior is expected to be similar to Wednesday’s, with active fire behavior and Red Flag Warning conditions due to gusty winds and low relative humidity.

On Wednesday afternoon, the fire reached the bottom of the No Name drainage, which will be a focus of firefighters today. Hotshot crews are working to contain spot fires along the ridge south of No Name drainage, and establish an anchor point and firelines.

“Residents in north Glenwood Springs should be prepared for rapidly changing conditions that may lead to pre-evacuation notices,” according to the Thursday morning update. Evacuation information is posted on the Garfield County website at http://www.Garfield-county.com.

Firefighters continue to do structure protection in several locations around the fire including the Shoshone Power Plant, Lookout Mountain, and the No Name subdivision.

“The fire is also fairly active on the east side, near Deadman’s Gulch, where crews are working to keep fire from spotting across I-70 in additional locations. Heavy equipment is working in more accessible areas. Helicopters and airtankers are supporting the efforts of engines and ground crews.”

Great Basin Type 1 Team, Incident Commander Marty Adell assumed command of the Grizzly Creek Fire at 6 a.m. Thursday.

Daily operations video updates will be posted on the Grizzly Creek Fire Facebook page. Maps and other information will also be posted on inciweb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6942/.

The team will host its next virtual FaceBook live community meeting at 6 p.m. Friday.

Road Closures: I-70 between Glenwood Springs and Gypsum, with no estimated time for reopening; Cottonwood Pass Road in Garfield and Eagle counties and Independence Pass are closed; Coffee Pot Road, Transfer Trail and Clinetop Mesa roads and areas of the Flattops accessed by those roads are also closed, as well as many surrounding White River National Forest and BLM roads. Maps of the closures are available on Inciweb.

#GrizzlyFireUpdate morning operational briefing with Chris Delaney, Great Basin Team 1 Operations Chief. This video explains the plan for fire operations today. #GrizzlyFire #FireYear2020

Posted by Grizzly Creek Fire on Thursday, August 13, 2020

NEW FIRE AREA MAP: Fire Incident Command has provided a current map of the Grizzly Creek Fire. The fire is currently 6,250 acres. An operational video and written daily update will be available later this morning, according to a 9 a.m. update.

8-13-Fire-area-expanded-map

Current Grizzly Creek Fire evacuations in effect, by order of the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office:

  • No Name
  • Lookout Mountain
  • Homestead Estates
  • Bair Ranch
  • High Aspen Ranch
  • Coulter Creek
  • Cottonwood Pass
  • Spring Valley Ranch

Due to fire activity and conditions, these evacuations will remain in effect for at least the next 24 hours, according to information posted to the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page and garfieldcounty.net. Look for the latest information there.

The city of Glenwood Springs has created a web page to provide resources and information for people who have been evacuated due to the Grizzly fire, at http://co-glenwoodspringsparksandrec.civicplus.com/282/Evacuation-Center

The Glenwood Community Center, 100 Wulfsohn Road, is the relocation point for evacuees of the Grizzly Creek Fire. Community Center amenities and showers are available to evacuees.

Other resources available to those affected by the fire:

RED CROSS: Contact: 1-800-RED-CROSS

Red Cross will be on-site at the Community Center 6:00am – 7:30pm Wednesday, August 12th through Friday, August 14th offering disaster relief services. Accommodations can be arranged through the Red Cross by visiting the Community Center.

LIFT-UP: Contact: LIFT-UP 970-625-4496 or email info@liftup.org

LIFT-UP is available to help with food, clothing, and household items for any individuals or families affected by the Grizzly Creek Fire.

NOTE FROM INCIDENT COMMAND: The Grizzly Creek Fire sincerely appreciates the outpouring of support and offers of donations. However, we can’t accept donations of food, beverage or masks. Rest assured that our firefighters are fully self-sufficient and well provided for. Those who want to support firefighters or those affected by the Grizzly Creek Fire can donate to your local fire protection district, the Salvation Army, Red Cross, or the Wildland Firefighter Foundation.

This is a developing story and will be updated. 


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