The Pine Gulch fire, a lightning-sparked fire raging north of Grand Junction, spread overnight becoming the fifth largest blaze in Colorado state history, fire officials said.
The fire, which ignited July 31, grew from 51,455 acres Wednesday to 68,323 Thursday, a gain of more than 16,000 acres, according to the Bureau of Land Management. Over 650 firefighters continue to battle the blaze, working to contain the smoke and flames which is still only 7% contained as of Thursday morning.
The Pine Gulch fire continues to ravage timber litter and brush in a sparsely populated area of the western slope, but some residents living near country roads in Garfield County were evacuated during the past week, according to the Bureau of Land Management. Temperatures are expected to reach 90 degrees and dry winds blowing up to 27 mph are likely to exacerbate the fire's spread Thursday, according to the Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team Black.