Colorado wildfires: 2 new wildfires spark in southwestern state, force evacuations

Lauren Penington, The Denver Post on Jul 27, 2025

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Two wildfires that sparked Saturday in southwestern Colorado have forced several communities across La Plata County to evacuate, according to fire officials.

The Elkhorn fire, which started as a structure fire at about 5 p.m. Saturday and spread into the wildland, is burning on 145 acres with no containment, Operations Chief Nick Collard said in a morning briefing.

Crews are working to prevent the fire from spreading toward nearby homes and structures, Collard said.

It’s burning on county and U.S. Forest Service land about 13 miles northeast of Durango, fire officials said.

Three zones were under mandatory evacuation orders on Sunday. The evacuation area is bordered to the south by Stevens Creek and to the west by County Road 253, County Road 250 and the Animas River, according to the county’s evacuation map. The north and east sides of the evacuation zone extend into the San Juan National Forest.

Two additional zones along Elkhorn Mountain Road and County Road 253 are under pre-evacuation orders, according to the map.

Those are likely to turn into mandatory evacuation orders, county officials said.

Residents can call 970-385-8700 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. for updated evacuation information or see the current map online at readylaplata.org.

An evacuation shelter is open at Escalante Middle School at 141 Baker Lane in Durango.

A second wildfire burning south of Durango had consumed roughly 50 acres Saturday night.

The Rim Road fire prompted evacuations along and south of County Road 318, down to where the fire is burning near Indian Route 150, according to the county’s evacuation map.

Nearby wells and natural gas lines were shut off Saturday due to their proximity to the fire, according to the Southern Ute Tribe.

No updates on the fire’s size or containment were available Sunday morning, but the evacuation orders remained active.

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