Update 4:45 pm. 7/23/26
Evacuations for the Sleepy Creek Fire have been lifted for Buck Point Drive and Cottonwood Pass Road, per a Pitkin Alert.
According to the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, the fire is 100% contained.
Pre-evacuations for the surrounding area have also been lifted. Cottonwood Pass is open.
Crews will continue to monitor the area for the next few days.
The sheriff’s office said lightning is suspected to be the cause of the fire.
Update 9:40 pm. 7/22/26
The pre-evacuation orders along County Roads 113, 112 and 121 in Garfield County have been lifted. The previous evacuation orders along Buck Point Drive and pre-evacuation orders in the surrounding area remain.
Fire crews will continue to work on containing the fire overnight, according to an Eagle County Sheriff's Office post on Facebook. The crews hope to have a containment line around the fire by Thursday afternoon. Cottonwood Pass will remain closed overnight.
Update 6:40 p.m. 7/22/26
The Garfield County Sheriff has put the area around county roads 113/121 and county road 122 on high alert, asking residents to pack valuables and be ready to evacuate if the fire progresses. All other existing evacuation and pre-evacuation orders remain in place. You can find an up-to-date map with all evacuations here.
The Eagle County building in El Jebel has been established as an evacuation center. Crews estimate the fire is about 4 acres.
Update 4:57 p.m. 7/22/26
Crews are responding to a new wildfire near the Buckpoint subdivision in Missouri Heights that broke out Wednesday afternoon.
Eagle County has issued an evacuation order for the area along Buck Point Drive and a pre-evacuation order for the surrounding area east of Cottonwood Pass Road. The road is closed on both sides.
The size of the fire is unknown at this time.
This comes as the National Weather Service office in Grand Junction has also issued a flood watch for the area between Glenwood Springs and Carbondale.
Update 2:04 p.m. 7/22/26
All pre-evacuation warnings in the area have been lifted, the Eagle County Sheriff’s Department announced on Facebook. The fire is now 80% contained and remains half an acre.
Update 8:21 p.m. 7/21/26
Crews will remain on scene overnight.
The fire is estimated at half an acre with no containment, and is burning on U.S. Bureau of Land Management land and private land.
Original story
A pre-evacuation warning has been issued in western Eagle County for homes along Cottonwood Pass Road in the area of Blue Hill. An evacuation map can be found here.
Firefighters responded to the Cottonwood Pass Fire at about 4:00 p.m. Tuesday.
The Eagle County Sheriff’s Office says that evacuations may be issued in the area and it may be necessary to leave quickly.
Those with special needs, livestock, large vehicles, or anyone needing extra time to evacuate is encouraged to leave now.
The size of the fire has not been reported.
This is a developing news story and will be updated with additional information as it becomes available.