Gold Mountain Fire Update – July 3, 2026
Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 3 Casey Cheesbrough Incident Commander
Fire Information: 970-355-3286 Operational Hours: 8am-8pm
Size: 21,031 acres | Containment: 0% | Cause: Undetermined | Start Date: June 27, 2026 @ 5:33 p.m.
Location: Approx. 2 miles NE of Ouray, CO | Total Personnel: 539
Although the fire was very active yesterday, the fire didn’t make the northerly push that was
predicted. Winds initially came from came the west and northwest causing significant movement to
the east, primarily on the eastern side of the Cow Creek drainage. Fire activity also increased
along the western flank in the Cutler Creek and Baldy Peak area above Hwy 550.
Helicopters and airtankers were utilized in this area to slow fire spread and give crews more time
to construct containment lines. A speed limit reduction had been implemented on Hwy 550 between
Ridgway and Ouray in the morning. When fire activity began to increase later in the day, so did
firefighter traffic on the highway. This led to the decision to temporarily close the highway for
public and firefighter safety (check www.cotrip.org for the current status on the closure).
Current Situation
Southwest fire perimeter just north of Ouray and east of Hwy 550 (Division A): Firefighters will
continue to reinforce firelines in areas that threaten values at risk to prevent the fire from
progressing south toward Ouray and limit fire growth in the Lenore Lake area. They will also
implement point protection measures as needed to reduce impacts to structures and other values at
risk.
Western fire perimeter east of Hwy 550 (Divisions B and C): Line construction will continue from
Cutler Creek and north to Baldy Peak. They will continue to assess and implement structure
protection measures as fire activity warrants. Firefighters will continue structure assessments on
homes along the 550 corridor and County Rd 12.
Northern fire perimeter between Hwy 550 and Cow Creek (Division D and H): Firefighters will utilize
indirect confinement operations to prevent the fire from spreading further north of County Rd 12.
Crews will work on fireline construction using direct extinguishment strategies where possible and
indirect confinement where they cannot access the flame front.
North of Silver Jack (Division U and P): Crews will scout for potential direct extinguishment and
indirect confinement line construction opportunities and continue to implement point protection
measures near structures and other values at risk.
Southeast fire perimeter (Division Z): Firefighters will scout for locations where they can either
engage the fire front directly or use indirect confinement fireline construction. On the southern
perimeter firefighters will reinforce and improve fireline and continue to assess future fire
potential.
Weather & Fire Behavior: Persistent adverse weather conditions have initiated another Red Flag
Warning from Noon to 8PM today. Temperatures will range from 82º-86º. Humidities will drop between
8-10%. Winds will be a little weaker coming from the west/northwest at 12-14mph and gusts up to
25mph. Fire behavior will continue as in the past few days with moderate behavior in the morning
then transitioning to very active to extreme behavior with torching and crown runs possible
starting in the early afternoon.
Evacuations and Closures: For information on evacuations and road closures contact the Ouray County
Evacuation Hotline at 970-626-5484 or go to https://ouraycountyco.gov/552/Maps-and-Closures.
The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests issued a Gold Mountain Wildfire Area
Closure Order. Learn more at https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/gmug/alerts.
The BLM Uncompahgre Field Office also issued a partial closure order due to the Gold Mountain Fire.
Learn more at https://www.blm.gov/office/uncompahgre-field-office.
Gold Mountain Fire Information
Phone: (970) 355-3286 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.)
Email: 2026.goldmountain@firenet.gov Facebook: www.facebook.com/goldmountainfire YouTube:
www.youtube.com/@goldmountainfire
