Colorado Fires

Daily Wildfire Report for Colorado - August 2, 2026

Overview

Colorado is currently experiencing an intense and highly active wildfire season, exacerbated by an extremely warm and dry winter that left the state with one of its lowest snowpacks on record. More than 235,000 acres have burned across the state so far this year. Persistent hot, dry weather, high winds, and fuel moisture levels approaching historic lows have created critical fire danger. The state is heavily reliant on interagency partnerships among federal, state, and local entities to manage the widespread incidents and protect communities in the wildland-urban interface.

Current Situation

Fire Activity: Multiple major wildfires are actively burning across the southern and western halves of the state. Firefighters are battling these blazes in challenging, rugged terrain under hot, dry, and windy conditions. While significant progress has been made on containment for several fires, the threat of new starts remains high due to dry lightning and human activities.

Key Fires:

• Aspen Acres Fire: Located in Custer and Pueblo counties, this human-caused fire is the largest in the state at 101,921 acres and is currently 67% contained. Driven by high winds through dry vegetation and timber, it has been highly destructive, destroying over 775 structures and prompting the evacuation of roughly 3,800 homes.
• Ferris Fire: Burning in Montezuma and Dolores counties within the San Juan National Forest, this lightning-caused fire merged with the Doe Canyon Fire. Fueled by heavy timber and dry forest understory, it has burned 64,881 acres and is currently 97% contained.
• Gold Mountain Fire: Originating near Ouray and expanding across the Uncompahgre National Forest, this fire has burned 39,507 acres and is 67% contained. Fueled by heavy timber and extremely dry vegetation, firefighters are focused on structure protection and suppression operations along the southwestern perimeter.
• Snyder Fire: Located in Mesa and Grand counties near the Utah border, this fire burned 28,264 acres and is now 100% contained. Tragically, extreme fire behavior and heavy smoke during initial attack operations in late June led to a burnover incident that claimed the lives of four wildland firefighters.
• Willow Fire: Located near Leadville, this human-caused fire has burned 7,196 acres and is 66% contained, having moved quickly through dry fuels toward Turquoise Lake.

Prescribed Burns and Land Management: Due to extreme fire danger and historic low fuel moisture levels, prescribed burn operations have been halted. Stage 2 Fire Restrictions are currently in effect across multiple jurisdictions, including Jefferson, Lake, and Pitkin counties, as well as on U.S. Forest Service (e.g., Pike-San Isabel National Forest) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. These restrictions strictly prohibit all campfires, open flames, fireworks, and the off-road use of combustion equipment.

Air Quality: Smoke from the active fires continues to impact air quality across the region. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has issued an Ozone Action Day Alert, strictly prohibiting any permitted open burning of waste or vegetation. Residents in affected areas should monitor local air quality indexes and limit outdoor exposure if smoke is heavy.

Weather and Wind Warnings

Current Weather: Conditions remain generally hot and dry with low humidity across much of the state. However, scattered showers and thunderstorms are developing this afternoon and evening.
Forecasted Weather: Red Flag Warnings remain a significant concern across the region due to critical fire weather conditions, including wind gusts of 30 to 50 mph and very low relative humidity. Additionally, the National Weather Service has warned that incoming thunderstorms bring a severe risk of flash flooding and debris flows, particularly in low-lying areas and downstream of recent burn scars (such as the Aspen Acres and Snyder fire footprints).

Recommendations

Public Awareness: Residents living in flood-prone areas or near recent burn scars should remain highly vigilant for flash flooding and debris flows over the next 72 hours. It is critical that all residents and visitors strictly adhere to Stage 2 fire bans to prevent human-caused wildfire starts. Ensure your household has an emergency evacuation plan in place.
Resource Allocation: Fire management resources are stretched and heavily committed across multiple large incidents. Agencies are utilizing staggered shifts and interagency hotshot crews to maintain full-time coverage for initial attacks on new fire starts, while aviation support is being deployed where smoke conditions and visibility allow.

Resources

For up-to-date emergency information, residents can visit:

• National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC): www.nifc.gov/fire-information/nfn
• Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control: dfpc.colorado.gov
• Colorado Air Quality: cdphe.colorado.gov/air-quality

Stay informed and prepared by monitoring these resources regularly.