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UPDATED: The 111 Wildfire West of Glenwood Springs Has Been Contained, No More Delays On I-70

via Glenwood Springs Fire Department

UPDATED Friday, 6:00 p.m. -  The Mile Marker 111 fire has been contained. Fire crews are wrapping up their work on scene. I-70 is open with no more expected delays. 

UPDATED Thursday, 2:40 p.m. - The 111 fire is now contained to nine acres. I-70 is back open, but more traffic disruptions are possible as crews continue to work on the fire. The state department of transportation is expected to have the westbound lane temporarily closed during firefighting efforts. Officials say the fire is determined to be human-caused and is under investigation. 

UPDATED 9:10 p.m. - The Glenwood Springs Fire Department said the 111 fire is now 25 percent contained. The fire was human-caused and is under investigation.

UPDATED 7:10 p.m. - Both lanes of westbound I-70 are now open.

UPDATED 6:35 p.m. - Westbound I-70 is open to one lane at mile-marker 114, West Glenwood Springs.

UPDATED 6:13 p.m. - Eastbound I-70 is now back open at mile-marker 109, Canyon Creek.

A fire broke out along I-70 near Glenwood Springs on Wednesday afternoon near mile marker 111, quickly growing to about 35-40 acres and shutting down the interstate in both directions. 

The fire spread quickly, burning in pinion and juniper on steep areas of BLM land. As of about 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, the fire had grown to 35-40 acres.  Glenwood Fire said I-70 would remain closed "for quite a while" to allow for helicopters to fly over the highway for water drops. 

Pre-evacuation orders were sent to residences in the Amy’s Acres area, though no homes have been evacuated.

“We are grateful we were able to get a fast response to the fire," said Glenwood Fire incident commander Harlan Nimmo. "We thank our neighboring fire agencies for their quick response. We know closing I-70 is an inconvenience and we appreciate everyone’s cooperation.”

 
The City of Glenwood Springs said that westbound traffic from Eagle County should not detour into Gypsum/Cottonwood Pass Road, as the route is not recommended or accessible due to paving operations on Valley Road and utility work on Cottonwood Pass Road.

Alex is KUNC's reporter covering the Colorado River Basin. He spent two years at Aspen Public Radio, mainly reporting on the resort economy, the environment and the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, he covered the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery for KDLG in Dillingham, Alaska.
Eleanor is an award-winning journalist reporting on regional social justice issues in collaboration with Aspen Public Radio and Aspen Journalism. A life-long Roaring Fork Valley local, she previously was a reporter, podcast producer and Morning Edition host at Aspen Public Radio. Her stories have ranged from the impact of federal immigration policies on local DACA recipients to creative efforts to solve the valley’s affordable housing challenge.