Posted Friday, June 21, 4:30 p.m.

Upper Colorado Region Interagency firefighters continue to work the growing Brush Creek Fire, but no structures are currently threatened.

Crews began fighting the Brush Creek Fire late Thursday, June 20, approximately 10 miles north of Rifle, about four miles north of Rifle Gap State Park. It is above the Puma Paw Ranch and is located near Parker Lake. The fire, burning on Bureau of Land Management land, is approximately 400 acres.

The fire is burning in pinion juniper and Douglas fir and on steep, rocky terrain. It is suspected this fire resulted from lightning strikes that occurred last week and was spread by recent winds.

A Hot Shot crew, one type 2 and one type 2 1A crew are battling the fire. A second Type 2 1A crew was en route to the fire. Eight fire engines and two helicopters are also working the fire.

Increased winds caused some difficulty for firefighters establishing containment on the fire. Evening winds have gusted to 20 mph, contributing to some spotting ahead of the fire. There are 91 people currently assigned to this fire.

The National Weather Service has extended a red flag warning until 9 p.m. Friday, due to gusty winds, low humidity and dry fuels creating a high fire danger.

This web site, http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3445, is updated regularly with the latest information about the fire. Be patient, as there are so many fires burning in Colorado and elsewhere, you may get a time out message. Keep trying.