Three wildfires in Colorado have grown over the weekend, some by just a few acres and some by thousands. The Silver Creek Fire, which started in July, doubled in size from Thursday, the Ryan Fire multiplied its size by eight, and the Indian Pass Fire, small as it may be, grew a little as well. Here is the latest on these wildfires. Silver Creek Fire (as of 9:25 a.m. Monday) Location: 16 miles northwest of Kremmling Acreage: 18,603 acres Containment: 50 percent Date started: July 19 Details: The fire has grown in size over the past few days. On Thursday afternoon, it was estimated at 9,472 acres and Saturday morning that number had grown to 14,324 acres. Monday’s weather calls for sustained winds of 20-25 mph, which is the strongest in the area of the fire so far. These high winds are concerning for the more than 650 firefighters who are working the blaze. They are actively engaging the fire and implementing a full suppression strategy. Pre-evacuation notices have been issued for Latigo Guest Ranch, Yost Ranch, Rabbit Ears Village, Bear Mountain and the Lake Agnes area. Residents of Grand County can enroll with the county’s alert system to learn of any future mandatory evacuations. Ryan Fire (as of 8:54 a.m. Monday) Location: 27 miles northwest of Walden Acreage: 19,328 acres Containment: 0 percent Date started: Sept. 15 Details: Saturday morning, the fire was estimated at 2,986 acres, and grew past 19,000 over the weekend and into Monday morning. While less fire activity is expected this week, weather forecasts trend warmer and drier by the end of the week. Crews on the southern end of the fire will evaluate the need to establish structure protection in the Pearl community and monitor the existing structure protections at Hogback Guard Station. Laramie and Cheyenne have both reported smoke impacts from this fire. The Carbon County Sheriff's Office issued an evacuation order for the Skyline community on Sunday. Indian Pass Fire (as of 8:52 a.m. Monday) Location: Southeast Flat Tops Wilderness (south of Fawn Creek, southwest of Indian Lake and about a mile north of Indian Camp Pass Trailhead) Acreage: 3 Containment: 100 percent Date started: Sept. 19 Details: About 60 people are working on this fire, which now stands at just a handful of acres. When it was first spotted, it was estimated at a quarter of an acre. Crews are mopping up and securing the fire line. Though the fire is much smaller now, smoke may still be visible in the immediate areas surrounding the fire. There are no closures or evacuations in place. Click here for the latest on all wildfires in Colorado.<doc-sep>The Ryan Fire burning down the hill in beetle-killed lodgepole pine on Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. The Ryan Fire, burning on the Colorado-Wyoming state line, spread rapidly over the weekend and is now 19,328 acres. The fire was at about 3,000 acres Friday, but little humidity and highly flammable, beetle-killed lodgepole pine helped the fire grow exponentially, according to a news release. The fire is burning northeast and is mostly in Wyoming. Sunday night rain helped firefighters maintain the blaze and limited fire behavior is expected early this week. But warmer and drier conditions are forecasted later in the week. #RyanFire grows to 19,328 acres on September 23. These images shows the active fire behavior throughout the day. Posted by Ryan Fire on Sunday, September 23, 2018 Fire crews on the southern end of the fire were protecting structures in the Colorado community of Pearl. The Carbon County Sheriff’s Office placed an evacuation order for the Skyline community in Wyoming Sunday. Laramie and Cheyenne were also impacted by smoke from the fire, the news release said. Portions of Routt and Medicine Bow National Forests were closed, which has impacted hunters in Colorado and Wyoming. The Wyoming Fish and Game Department will offer refunds to those with a Limited Quota Deer Hunt Area 81 license. The fire, which started Sept. 15, was at zero containment as of Monday with 233 people working on it.<doc-sep>While the containment of many of Colorado’s wildfires is high, winds and rising temperatures still challenge firefighters. Fire activity has been low in recent days, according to daily fire reports. Light rains in norther Colorado gave firefighters a boost but higher temperatures and dryer conditions heading into the weekend could hamper their efforts. Ryan Fire: One of Colorado’s newest wildfires, the Ryan fire spread quickly. Burning 21,032 acres, the fire has been fueled by unseasonably warm temperatures and dry conditions. “It has been above average on just about everything,” Carin Vadala, a spokeswoman for the fire said. Recently, light rain and cooler temperatures have helped firefighters achieve 30 percent containment on the blaze. While the temperatures stayed cool in the first part of the week, the end of the week and into the weekend are expected to be hotter and dryer. The fire straddles the Colorado-Wyoming border and is 27 miles northwest of Walden. No structures are threatened by the fire but closures remain in the Medicine Bow and Routt National Forests, according to a fire report. Bull Draw Fire: One of the largest fires in Colorado history continues to burn, having already consumed 36,549 acres. Containment is currently at 95 percent and all fire activity is limited to the interior, according to a fire report. Winds remain firefighters largest obstacle as gusts top 20 miles per hour. The fire is located 12 northwest of Nucla. No structures are threatened by the fire.<doc-sep>A wildfire that spread north earlier this month from Colorado into Wyoming was started by an escaped campfire, authorities said Friday. The Ryan Fire began two miles south of the state line in Jackson County, Colorado. It was reported Sept. 15 and has since grown to 21,631 acres. Firefighters have it 35 percent contained. A U.S. Forest Service spokesman asked for people who were in the area to call the fire information phone number at 307-314-9408. The forest service is requesting information in an attempt to identify people responsible for starting the fire. The forest service is especially interested in hearing from hunters who were in Colorado Game Management Area 161, a news release stated. The fire was one of a handful burning in Wyoming on Friday. The largest blaze is the Roosevelt Fire, which has torched 54,000 acres in the western part of the state. Authorities say the conflagration, which began 30 miles south of Jackson in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, has destroyed 55 homes. Firefighters say they have been successful in keeping the fire from crossing a highway and are working to shore up established fire lines. The fire has forced the evacuation of about 500 rural residents.<doc-sep>
Several Colorado wildfires raged into the fall season with several growing bigger and more threatening under drought conditions. Leading the advancing wildfires was the Ryan fire in north-central Colorado and Wyoming. Over the weekend, it raced through beetle-kill forests, increasing its size more than sixfold to 19,328 acres. An update on some of the largest active Colorado wildfires follows. RYAN FIRE The wildfire, which is 27 miles northwest of Walden, grew by 5,699 acres on Saturday and 10,643 acres on Sunday. The cause of the fire, first spotted on Sept. 15, is under investigation. Although the wildfire began in Colorado. it is now mostly in Wyoming. The fire is chewing up forest lands in a northeasterly direction, mostly through Wyoming. The number of firefighters tasked to the blaze stands at 223, an increase that reflects its current higher priority. SILVER CREEK FIRE Although the fire grew by more than 5,000 acres over the weekend, fire crews were able to gain 50 percent containment over the weekend. The fire was at 35 percent containment on Friday. The fire, about 16 miles northwest of Kremmling, is now 18,444 acres in size. Firefighters successfully conducted burnout operations in the interior of the fire to minimize the chance for future flare-ups. This strategy eliminates fuels including unburned trees, brush and grass, creating a barrier in front of advancing fire. It’s also used to secure fire lines and increase perimeter containment, fire officials said. The substantial increase in acres from the previous total is due in large part to the burnout operations. The firelines used were constructed along defensible topography containing lighter fuels, such as grass and sage instead of heavy timber. BULL DRAW FIRE The wildfire grew 2,642 acres over the weekend and is now at least 36,442 acres in size. It is now 70 percent contained. Firefighters are dropping plastic balls the size of ping pong balls from helicopters to ignite on the ground. The tactic is used to burn up bushes and trees in the interior of the fire between the main fire and fire lines to consume fuels and stop the growth of the fire. The fire, about 12 miles northwest of Nucla, was sparked by lightning July 29.