Colorado Wildfires

Firefighters are struggling to get close to the Elk Fire. The rugged terrain west of Highway 149 has made direct ground operations nearly impossible.

The burn scar left behind by the Gold Mountain Fire is making a rough situation a lot worse along US 550 between Ouray and Silverton.

Monsoon season and a massive burn scar are not a great combination, and that's exactly what crews near Ouray are watching right now.

Mandatory evacuations are still in place along parts of Highway 50 and the Big Cimarron corridor, while other zones have quietly moved to voluntary status overnight.

Burn scars from weeks of Western Slope wildfires have left the ground in a condition where even a short rainstorm can turn a dry gulch into something unrecognizable.

Nearly a thousand firefighters are working the Gold Mountain Fire alone — and that number tells you something about what crews are up against near Cimarron Ridge.

Grand Junction barely saw a drop of rain, but Unaweep Canyon got flash flooding and two brand-new fires in the same 24-hour stretch.

Residents are watching evacuation zones closely, while travelers should be prepared for smoky skies and changing road conditions.

Forty-one snow guns running in July — not to make snow, but to keep a wildfire from reaching the mountain. That's the kind of summer nobody at Steamboat planned for.

Three wildfires, three different corners of Colorado, three different causes — and all of them are still burning.