The Middle Mamm Fire outside Rifle has grown to nearly 1,000 acres — and it’s expected to keep expanding on Saturday.
Persistent, gusting winds pushed the fire north into Gant Gulch on Friday night, as crews continue to use helicopters and other methods to prevent the fire from encroaching on private property, the Upper Colorado River Fire Management Unit said in a news release.
Gusting winds on Friday prevented air resources from dropping fire retardant and assist with bucket drops. More crews and air resources are expected this weekend, fire officials said.
Saturday, the Roosevelt hotshots, a 20-person interagency crew, arrived to assist in the operation.
The Garfield County Sheriff will be closing Colorado 319 (West Mamm) at the intersection of 322 (Shafer Road). Only residents and emergency vehicles will be allowed to pass, the news release said.
Earlier Friday, White River National Forest and other local forest officials issued near the fire in south Rifle. Closures run until December 31 or until it is rescinded, the forest service said.
The fire was ignited by lightning on July 28.
Wildfires in Colorado and the U.S.
The map shows active wildfire locations in 2019. The map defaults to Colorado; to see all wildfires, click “U.S.” in the view area. Click the map layers icon in the top right corner of the map to change map backgrounds and to toggle active and contained fires. Click a marker or perimeter for details. To view the full map and a table of all wildfires, click here.
*Data comes from two sources, and , and could contain inconsistencies. Map by Kevin Hamm and Daniel J. Schneider.
