Firefighters continue to battle the South Rim fire in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, as the blaze burned over 1,000 acres overnight Friday, leading to evacuations for nearby neighborhoods.

The wildfire is now 2,892 acres with zero percent containment as of Saturday afternoon, growing over 1,200 acres in size in a day’s time. Montrose County issued evacuations for all Bostwick Park residents Friday night out of an “abundance of caution,” according to the incident management team that took over the operation, San Juan Team 8.

Wildfire near Buena Vista contained Friday, evacuation orders remain

Access to the Black Canyon via U.S. 50 was closed, and U.S. 347 was closed at the junction with 50 Friday. The K37 Trail also was under evacuation. The park remained closed with no anticipated date for reopening.

Dave Farley, a spokesperson from the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office, told The Gazette Saturday evening the office is focused on finding a location for evacuees to stay “as soon as possible.”   

No injuries or deaths were reported, as park rangers acted swiftly to evacuate all visitors and staff from the park.

The South Rim wildfire was sparked by lightning strikes that ignited two areas in the Black Canyon, one near Kneeling Camel Overlook, the other near the west boundary of the park Thursday around 11:30 a.m.

Lorena Williams, a spokesperson for San Juan Team 8, said firefighters were running into difficulties because of weather and terrain.

“We simply can’t engage the rim side of the fire. Every afternoon, we are seeing critically low relative humidity, high wind, high temperatures — everything needed to create a recipe for really active fire behavior. When we have these dangerous conditions, it forces us to pull firefighters back,” Williams said.

Williams added there was no estimate for how long the fire will continue to grow or how long it will take to be contained, stating there are too many factors at play.  

Crews on Saturday were conducting burnout operations to halt the fire’s spread as they try to secure the edge closest to Bostwick Park.

Air tankers continued to support the fire efforts with retardant, water buckets, mapping and aerial supervision. Two extra helicopters also were sent out.

San Juan Team 8’s focus has been on protecting dam and power infrastructure, which are directly in the fire’s path. Williams said these are the “most critical values” to protect since they play a part in delivering a key water source to nearby communities. There’s also a power transmission line at risk.

The park has lost some structures to the fire, including campground restrooms. But crews managed to save the park’s visitor center and administration building due to “really aggressive” protection measures Friday, Williams said. 

Southern Colorado Boy Scouts camp survived ‘terrifying’ flash flood

The Rocky Mountain Team 3, a complex-incident management team, will take control of the operation Monday, according to Williams. The team will bring more resources and personnel with it. 

Challenging weather conditions are expected to persist in Montrose County. Temperatures were expected to reach 92 degrees, with gusts as high as 25 mph, on Saturday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. However, winds were expected to die down during the night.

San Juan Team 8 said smoke may be visible and may settle into valleys and other low-lying areas, especially overnight Saturday and early Sunday morning.

An air quality alert for “moderate to heavy” smoke was in effect for a large swath of southwest Colorado through 9 a.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. 

To reduce risk, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment recommends staying indoors when possible and protecting indoor air quality by closing windows and doors, using fans to stay cool and avoiding activities that increase indoor air pollution such as using gas, propane or wood stoves.

Officials asked people not to call 911 or dispatch phone numbers for information on the fire, as it delays critical first-responder communications.

Another wildfire caused by a lightning strike Thursday continued to burn over 60 miles west of the blaze in Black Canyon of the Gunnison. The Sowbelly fire in the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area had reached 2,241 acres with zero percent containment on Saturday, according to InciWeb.

Washington man to be extradited to Colorado Springs on human trafficking charges