Wind-driven wildfire burns two structures in Rifle, forces evacuations
The Dry Creek fire was estimated at 315 acres as of Wednesday morning after starting Tuesday in Garfield County
Aspen News
Safety
Bonfire Coffee upgrades to larger roasting facility
New space in Glenwood Springs welcoming customers
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Bonfire Coffee Founder Charlie Chacos, right, stands with head roaster Clay Gailey in front of equipment at their new roasting facility in Glenwood Springs on June 11....
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A woman holds a bag of Bonfire Coffee in the new Glenwood Springs store on June 11.
Evacuations underway for structure, wildfire south of Rifle
Crews are responding to a structure fire and wildfire south of Rifle on Gage Road, where additional structures and gas wells are threatened, according to Colorado River Fire Rescue. Evacuations are in progress for Gage Road and are moving into the Grass Mesa area, according to...
Dry Creek Fire grows to 189 acres south of Rifle
Update, 5:15 p.m. Tuesday: The Dry Creek Fire south of Rifle on Gage Road is estimated at 189 acres, Colorado River Fire Rescue spokesperson Maria Nechkash said Tuesday evening. Evacuations are in progress for Gage Road and part of the Grass Mesa area, Nechkash said. No struct...
Dry Creek Fire grows to 288 acres south of Rifle
Update, 5:15 p.m. Tuesday: The Dry Creek Fire south of Rifle on Gage Road is estimated at 288 acres, Colorado River Fire Rescue spokesperson Maria Nechkash said Tuesday evening. Evacuations are in progress for Gage Road and part of the Grass Mesa area, Nechkash said. No struct...
Dry Creek Fire reaches 35% containment
Update, 5:15 p.m. Wednesday: The Dry Creek Fire south of Rifle is now 35% contained, according to watchduty.org. Firefighters have made progress constructing direct handline and installing hose lays along the western perimeter of the fire, according to a Wednesday evening Face...
Dry Creek Fire reaches 90% containment
Update, 5:45 p.m. Thursday: The Dry Creek Fire south of Rifle reached 90% containment Thursday evening, Colorado River Fire Rescue Chief Leif Sackett said. Sackett said conditions are looking good around most of the fire, though crews are still working along the west and north...
Pitkin County to enter Stage 2 Fire Restrictions on Friday
Pitkin County Sheriff Michael Buglione will enter Stage 2 Fire Restrictions at 12:01 a.m. Friday, June 26, which was announced at a joint Aspen City Council and Board of County Commissioners meeting on Monday. This follows Pitkin County’s move into Stage 1 on June 10. Accor...
Colorado could see more haze this week from wildfires burning elsewhere in the West
Colorado could continue to see hazy skies this week as wildfire activity in the West picks up. Smoke from three large wildfires burning in Utah and Nevada pushed across the Western Slope over the weekend, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environmen...
Sylvan Lake among state parks experiencing water shortages, reduced boating access
Impacts from Colorado’s extreme drought conditions are hitting several state parks in the state’s northwest corner. Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced emergency water conservation measures and boating restrictions at both Sylvan Lake State Park in Eagle County and Rifle Ga...
June 10 Rifle fire ruled human-caused, investigators seek tips
Investigators have determined the June 10 structure and wildland fire near Willow Creek Circle and Government Creek in Rifle was human-caused, though the specific ignition source has not been identified. Colorado River Fire Rescue and the Rifle Police Department are asking for...
Northwest Colorado state parks experiencing water shortages, reduced boating access
Impacts from Colorado’s extreme drought conditions are hitting several state parks in the state’s northwest corner. Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced emergency water conservation measures and boating restrictions at both Sylvan Lake State Park in Eagle County and Rifle Ga...
Rifle hires former police chief to return to department
Thomas Klein Jr. was confirmed Wednesday evening during Rifle City Council’s meeting as the city’s next chief of police. Klein will return to the role he previously held from 2017 to 2021, bringing more than 30 years of law enforcement and municipal leadership experience bac...
Colorado’s mountains summers are getting warmer, exacerbating drought and wildfire risk
Summer is off to a hot start in the Colorado mountains as soaring temperatures, a lack of precipitation and wind are worsening already severe drought conditions and exacerbating wildfire concerns. Across most of the mountain region, June has featured near-record temperatures a...
Willoughby: Coal, hoppers and clinkers
Home heating at 8,000 feet is vital for survival. Innovations for efficiency, convenience and cost were implemented. The last phases were employed when I was a child. In early decades, home heat was fueled by wood and coal. Homes had fireplaces and stoves, including kitchen s...
Summers in Colorado’s mountains are getting warmer, exacerbating drought and wildfire risk
Summer is off to a hot start in the Colorado mountains as soaring temperatures, a lack of precipitation and wind are worsening already severe drought conditions and exacerbating wildfire concerns. Across most of the mountain region, June has featured near-record temperatures a...
Colorado destinations see higher booking pace for Fourth of July weekend
Colorado resort destinations are seeing higher bookings for Independence Day weekend than last year, even as falling consumer confidence slows discretionary spending. As counties in Colorado’s Western Slope implement stricter fire restrictions amid an uptick in wildfire activi...
Friday letters: Paradise Creek Fire response, Baker support and more
Grateful to our community I was just one of thousands forced off the interstate or stuck on it June 9 due to the Paradise Creek Fire near South Canyon exit. I was stuck at the West Glenwood exit for seven hours. I was lucky enough to watch the rafters and kayakers on the river...
On the trail again
Hikers reach the top of Hanging Lake Trail in Glenwood Canyon on Thursday, following the ribbon-cutting ceremony on a $4.9 million reconstruction and restoration project after the Grizzly Creek Fire in 2020 and subsequent debris flows and flooding in 2021.…...
Popular Colorado mountain destinations, including most-visited national forest, to enter Stage 1 restrictions
The entire White River National Forest will enter Stage 1 fire restrictions on Friday, according to a news release from the U.S. Forest Service. The White River National Forest is the most visited national forest in the United States, drawing nearly 18 million visitors annuall...
How did Colorado get here? Understanding the drought emergency in the headwaters state
Despite May bringing near normal precipitation and temperatures to the state, June has gotten off to a hot and dry start, spiraling Colorado into drought conditions. Understanding more about Colorado’s hydrology is critical to understanding how the drought developed — and got...
‘Preparedness not panic’ approach to wildfire starts with signing up for alerts, making a plan
Hot, windy, dry summer weather coming off a brutally low-snow winter has the Vail Fire Department once again urging residents to sign up for Eagle County Alerts, work on a personal evacuation plan (the six Ps) and get fuels five feet away from homes with Fire Free Five. “Evacu...
Highway 6 reopens after grass fire near Powerline Road
Update 8:15 p.m. Monday: U.S. Highway 6 has reopened in both directions between Rifle and Silt after a small grass fire near Powerline Road prompted a closure and power outages affecting thousands of Garfield County customers Monday afternoon. As of 8:13 p.m., the area had bee...
PHOTOS: Construction begins at Silt fire house
Colorado River Fire Rescue Station 61 in Silt broke ground on Wednesday, June 10 with a shovel ceremony, attended by Colorado River Fire Rescue board members and firefighters. It was a windy day, but the gold shovels were gleaming and the fire personnel were happy to see what wou...
City of Rifle enters Stage 1 fire restrictions
The City of Rifle implemented Stage 1 fire restrictions Wednesday, aligning with restrictions already enacted across Garfield County. The Garfield County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Land Management, and the county’s seven fire districts announced restrictions on June 9 fol...