Fire Update: Gold Mountain Fire
Wednesday, July 15, 2026 – 8:00 a.m. MDT
Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 2
Incident Commander Rodney Redinger
Phone (public and media inquiries): 970-355-3286 Email:2026.goldmountain@firenet.gov
Safety Message: What you don’t know, actually could hurt you. Scan the QR code above for a one-stop shop website where you’ll find multiple links for fire and flash flood information and emergency services relevant to the Gold Mountain Fire. This includes InciWeb, Facebook, YouTube, Emergency Management for Ouray, Montrose, and Gunnison counties, and a smoke outlook report covering communities surrounding the Gold Mountain and Elk Fires.
Current Conditions: Gusty, late afternoon northeast winds yesterday pushed the fire back into areas already blackened by fire. This caused smoke to move west into the Highway 550 corridor and the town of Ridgway. Additional thunderstorm activity is expected to be a little stronger today with the potential of increased lightning and short periods of heavy downpours.
Firefighters continue to mop up and improve fire lines along the Highway 550 corridor and north along the fire perimeter to Cow Creek. They are utilizing woodchippers to convert brush, shrubs, and small trees that were removed during line construction into small wood chips. Crews are securing the fire edge around Nate Creek by linking fire line with natural features. Firefighters are working on reinforcing indirect fire line to the north along the western forest boundary and east toward BLM lands, then moving back to the south toward Silver Jack Reservoir. As they construct and reinforce the lines, they are also implementing point protection around structures, installing pumps and hoses to protect homes and other values at risk from the fire. Large water tanks, pumps, and hose are also being put in place to provide water where no natural sources exist. Aerial resources continue to monitor the inaccessible southern fire perimeter.
Weather and Fire Behavior: Thunderstorm activity is expected to move more slowly over the fire area, producing erratic winds. The moisture from yesterday did increase humidities overnight. Temperatures will be cooler today keeping the relative humidity higher than what it has been over the past few days. There is a 50% chance of wetting rain. Although it will help, the fuels are still critically dry and receptive to ignition and fire spread.
Air Quality – Scan the QR code at the top for the link to the current Gold Mountain Fire Smoke Outlook report.
Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR): To get the exact restricted airspace over the Gold Mountain Fire, go to www.tfr.faa.gov. The NOTAM Number is FDC 6/5451.
