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Brush fire near Parachute forces evacuations, closes Highway 6

A fire burns on a hillside next to a road, with dark black smoke billowing up from it. The back of an emergency vehicle is seen in the foreground.
Garfield County Sheriff's Office
The Cottonwood Flat Fire burns on the side of County Road 309 just south of the I-70, between Parachute and Rulison. It was originally reported as a two-acre vegetation fire, but had grown to more than 300 acres by Thursday evening.

A quickly-moving brush fire burning just south of I-70 between Parachute and Rulison has prompted evacuation orders and closed Highway 6.

Residents within a one-mile radius of 1800 County Road 309 are under evacuation orders from the Garfield County Sheriff's Office. Those within a two-mile radius are in a pre-evacuation status.

The fire was originally reported at two acres, but has now grown to 310 acres, according to the Watch Duty fire monitoring app.

Highway 6 is closed in both directions between Parachute and Rulison.

The Cottonwood Park Rodeo Grounds is open for evacuated livestock, according to the Garfield County Emergency Operations Center.

The fire was first reported around 3 p.m. Thursday.