Elk Fire Update – 7/29/2026

Fire Update – Elk Fire
Wednesday, July 29, 2026 – 8:00 a.m.
Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1
Justin Conrad, Incident Commander
Information Phone: 970-299-5357
Email: 2026.elk@firenet.gov
Information Staffing Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Special Note: Command for the Elk Fire transitioned from Northwest Team 8 to Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team (CIMT) 1 as of 6:00 a.m. this morning. Rocky Mountain CIMT1 would like to thank Northwest Team 8 for their excellent work.

Current Situation:
Growth on the Elk Fire has been minimal, and the fire has remained in the Uncompahgre Wilderness Area. Firefighters are improving primary lines west of State Highway 149 and north of the fire area along Alpine Road in efforts to keep the fire from affecting private property, infrastructure, or other critical values.
Heavy equipment operations supporting suppression repair continue where containment lines are established. When and where it is safe to do so, crews will remove any hose, pumps, and equipment that were installed by the Structure Protection group.

Aviation resources remain available and can be used to limit fire growth to keep the fire within the current footprint. Firefighters are available to respond to any new fire starts as needed.

Weather and Fire Behavior: Monsoonal moisture will bring showers and thunderstorms to parts of the fire area today. Where rainfall is light or missed, active fire behavior may continue. Large, dense logs will retain heat and could still contribute to fire spread despite higher moisture levels.

Evacuations: Current evacuation information is available for Hinsdale County at hinsdalecounty.colorado.gov.
Closures: The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests closure information is available at fs.usda.gov/r02/gmug/alerts. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Uncompahgre Field Office closures can be found at blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/fire-and-aviation/regional-information/colorado/southwest-district.

No Fly Zone: A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over the Gold Mountain and Elk Fire areas is in effect. Flying drones near the fire is prohibited and can interfere with firefighting aircraft, potentially grounding aerial suppression operations. For more information on flight restrictions, visit knowbeforeyoufly.org.

Fire Statistics:
Size: 2,317 acres
Containment: 37%
Total Personnel: 100
Location: 7 Miles NW of Lake City, CO
Reported: July 9, 2026
Cause: Lightning

For More Information:
Information Phone: 970-299-5357
Email: 2026.elk@firenet.gov
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2026elkfire
InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/cogmf-elk-fire
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/2026ElkPublic