Today marks the one-year anniversary since the Grizzly Creek Fire erupted in Glenwood Canyon near MM 120 around 1:30 p.m. on the afternoon of Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. The fire burned until it was 100% contained on Dec. 18 and spread to 32,631 acres.
By Aug. 12, the fire had crossed both Interstate 70 and the Colorado River in Glenwood Canyon. The power plant at the Shoshone Generating Station was evacuated, alongside with the communities of No Name, Lookout Mountain, and Coulter Creek. Due to the fire’s location and the closure of I-70 the Grizzly Creek Fire became the nation’s top fire priority and was taken over by Type I crews.
The rapidly growing fire spread east towards Bair Ranch and southeast into Devil’s Hole Canyon and doubled in size from 6,251 acres to 13,441 acres by the morning of Aug. 13.
Due to the fire’s location near residences and its potential impact on the environment by Aug. 19, Burned Area Emergency Response teams arrived on the scene.
I-70 reopened on the morning of Aug. 24 until a second temporary closure was put in place while helicopters worked to extinguish a flare up.
The fire containment reached 60% by Aug. 26 and fire crews continued to make progress in the following weeks and months.
The fire was human caused though the exact cause remains undetermined.
Readers around Glenwood Springs and Garfield County make the Post Independent’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.
Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.
Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.