A fire that sparked on Colorado’s Western Slope on Tuesday afternoon was fully contained and evacuations were lifted by 3:30 p.m., according to the Grand Junction Fire Department.
The fire burned three or four buildings on a single, large private property at 7803 Reeder Mesa Road, Grand Junction Fire Department spokesman Dirk Clingman said. The blaze started around 12:40 p.m. and burned 10 acres over the next few hours, he said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The buildings that burned were sheds and other outbuildings, Clingman said. A home on the property was also severely damaged, he said. A photo posted by the fire department early on in the fire showed a black column of smoke reaching into the sky.
Residents within a one-mile radius of 7803 Reeder Mesa Road were ordered to evacuate shortly after the blaze started, according to the fire department. That address is roughly 18 miles southeast of Grand Junction and 33 miles northwest of Delta. Those evacuations were lifted about three hours later as the fire was controlled.
The Mesa County Fire Authority, Central Orchard Mesa Fire, East Orchard Mesa Fire, Palisade Fire Department, Mesa County Sheriff’s Office’s Wildland Fire Team and the Bureau of Land Management all responded to fight the wildfire, Grand Junction fire officials said.
