Wildland fires burning in Colorado, Wyoming and Idaho caused hazy skies Thursday along the Front Range.
A number of residents reported a slight scent of smoke to law enforcement agencies, prompting the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office to issue a news release saying there are no active fires in the county.
The large amount of smoke and upper-air winds from the west for several days combined to create the conditions, said Carl Burroughs of the National Weather Service in Boulder.
The haze should lessen today as the winds become more easterly and the chances of rain increase, Burroughs said.
The 500-acre Jordan fire, 7 miles northwest of Meeker, was started by lightning Wednesday.
Punky Moore, spokesman for the Northwest Colorado Fire Management Unit, said the Jordan fire is a running fire with zero containment in the rugged Windy Gulch Wilderness Study Area. Some structures are threatened.
About 27,000 acres of brush and grass have been consumed in the Mayberry fire, 32 miles northwest of Craig. Several gas wells were scorched. It is 75 percent contained.
The Lone fire 15 miles north of Elk Springs in Moffat County has burned 950 acres of brush and grass.
The pilot of a private air tanker walked away Wednesday after his single-engine Cessna went down while fighting the 5,150-acre Prong fire 23 miles northwest of Meeker.
The National Interagency Coordinator Center in Boise, Idaho, reported Thursday that the Gunbarrel fire 40 miles west of Cody, Wyo., has shown extreme fire behavior with long-range spotting of sparks.Numerous structures are threatened.
However, an evacuation advisory has been lifted for the Elephant Head Lodge near the fire, while Goff Creek Lodge remains under an evacuation advisory.
Since it began with a lightning strike a month ago, the Gunbarrel fire has burned 57,384 acres. It is now 13 percent contained.
In Idaho, firefighters battled the 24,084-acre South Barker fire 2 miles east of Featherville and the 700-acre Nature fire in the Sawtooth National Forest 8 miles west of Picabo.
Ann Schrader: 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com
