Lightning has started 24 fires that have consumed thousands of acres in northwestern Colorado since Sunday, the Northwest Colorado Fire Management Unit said tonight.
Erratic winds have hampered crews’ efforts to contain several of the fires.
The largest blaze, called the Mayberry Fire, has burned 8,000 acres of sagebrush and tall grass on U.S. Bureau of Land Management property 32 miles northwest of Craig.
One home was threatened, but 20 of the 30 gas wells in the area have been burned over. The damage has not yet been assessed, the fire agency said.
Another blaze, called the Prong Fire, has burned 4,600 acres 23 miles northwest of Craig. The fire is 80 percent contained. The fire has consumed a mix of sagebrush and grass on private and BLM lands.
The Lone Fire fire has threatened two homes and burned 700 acres of pinyon-juniper on private property 15 miles north of Elk Springs. The fire is 15 percent contained at 9 p.m. Monday night, according to fire officials.
