Editor’s note: This is a developing story. It will be updated as new information becomes available.

3:35 p.m. Aug 11: The impact area of the Windy Gap Fire remains at approximately 30 acres and the fire is now 100% contained. The fire will be transferred to the Grand Fire Protection District on the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 12 and will be monitored and patrolled as necessary, Grand County Sheriff’s Department stated.

6 p.m. Aug. 10: The Windy Gap Fire remains at approximately 30 acres, and containment has increased to 90%. Over the next 24 to 48 hours, additional fire personnel will be downsized.

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5:40 p.m. Aug. 9: The Windy Gap Fire burned 30 acres west of Granby and is now contained at 80%.

Local firefighters have had the assistance of two 20-person hand crews while fighting the flames. The crews will remain on the scene for at least the next few days until full containment is reached and any further fire danger has been ruled out.

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Besides the Windy Gap Fire, there are no other fires burning in Grand County.

A press release by the Grand County Sheriff’s Office state that a large amount of smoke has settled across the county from other ongoing fires in the state. Residents should only call 911 if they see active flames.

12:50 p.m. Aug. 9: An investigation revealed the cause and origin of the Windy Gap Fire to be lightning.

The investigation on Thursday, Aug. 7 showed that there were three lightning strikes in the area on Aug. 3 at approximately 7 p.m. The scene of the fire revealed a single tree that has been struck by lightning.

“It is common with lightning strike fires for it to take several days before igniting which is what occurred in this case,” writes the news release from the Grand County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident has been officially classified as a lightning strike and the investigation has ruled out any human caused fire.

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7:25 p.m Aug. 8 – The Windy Gap Fire is now estimated at approximately 30 acres with 60% containment. Fire personnel will be on scene for the next few days continuing their efforts, however authorities are downsizing the incident as they are able to, stated the Grand County Sheriff’s Department.

Highway 40 has reopened in both directions between Drowsey Water and the U.S. Highway 34/40 intersection from Mile Point 208 to Mile Point 211. Small flames and smoke may be visible along Highway 40, however there is no need to contact 911 as this is being monitored. Highway 125 is reopened as well.

11 a.m. Aug. 8: Pre-evacuation orders were officially lifted on Friday, Aug. 8 at 10:55 a.m. for areas G41 and G48. The two areas were close to the fire and were the only zones that received pre-evacuation notices.

The Grand County sheriff and the Windy Gap Fire Incident Commander have evaluated the current and projected fire behavior and have decided to lift the previously issued pre-evacuation notices.

The news release from the sheriff’s office reminds residents that wildfire danger is still high and encourages residents to sign up for CodeRED, a cellular emergency notification system, by visiting GCEmergency.com.

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9:00 p.m. Aug 7: Fire personnel have completed their fire operations for today. The fire remains at approximately 30 acres and 40% containment

“We were fortunate to not experience any significant growth from the afternoon winds,” stated the Grand County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook.

U.S. Highway 40 will remain open with alternating traffic through tonight and into tomorrow. Authorities plan to discuss the pre-evacuation status of areas G41 and G48 nearby the fire on Friday morning after evaluating the latest fire behavior.

3:00 p.m. Aug. 7: According to the Grand County Sheriff’s Department, the Windy Gap Fire remains at approximately 30 acres as firefighters continue to their work which has increased containment to 40%. The Sheriff and fire crews are closely monitoring the afternoon windy conditions. There are still no evacuations. Areas G41 and G48 nearby the location of the fire will remain in pre-evacuation status throughout the afternoon and will be reevaluated on Friday morning.

An investigator was assigned to the incident and based on evidence at the scene has determined this be a lightning caused fire. As fire crews and law enforcement have been further able to assess the area, five uninhabited small cabins on the property were deemed destroyed. 

Highway 40 will remain alternating traffic throughout the afternoon.

2:30 p.m. Aug 7:

On Thursday afternoon, the Grand County Board of County Commissioners announced a resolution declaring a local disaster emergency due to the fire.

“This is an important first step in the emergency management process, and puts Grand County in a better position for recovering funds related to the Windy Gap Fire and its impacts,” the commissioners stated on the Grand County Colorado Facebook page.

9:20 a.m. Aug. 7: The fire remains at approximately 30 acres, and there are no evacuation orders.

The Mountain Parks Electric system was returned to normal feeds Wednesday evening. The Outage Map (linked from the MPEI.com/Outage webpage) was updated this morning with current information.  Since yesterday and overnight, it incorrectly showed areas of impact from the substation switching that occurred. The extensive power feed re-routing that was required to keep power on to as many members as possible confused the mapping system. Technicians resolved the mapping system issues by 9 a.m. in the morning.

“Special thanks to MPE’s operations team and others throughout the co-op for their efforts,” said Mountain Park’s CEO Virginia Harman. “Line crews and dispatch were up until midnight to keep our members and first responders safe and to restore our system to normal operations. As of around midnight, MPE completed re-energizing our substation and lines near the fire.”

Mountain Parks will continue to work with the sheriff’s office and fire response team today as necessary.

7:15 a.m. Aug. 7: U.S. Highway 40 will be open beginning at 7:30 a.m. from Granby to Hot Sulphur Springs with alternating one way traffic. Motorists are encouraged to remain vigilant as there are fire personnel working near the highway and fire apparatus and emergency vehicles in the area. Agencies will evaluate a full Highway 40 opening later in the day. Colorado Highway 125 has also been fully reopened.

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10:30 p.m. Aug. 6: The Windy Gap Fire is now estimated to be approximately 30 acres with 15% containment, Grand County Sheriff’s Office stated in an email.

Fire suppression efforts throughout the day and evening were supported by the local fire protection districts, Grand County Emergency Medical Services, Grand County Road and Bridge, Grand County Office of Emergency Management, Grand County Government, Colorado State Patrol, Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, the Granby Police Department, Kremmling Police Department, Fraser Winter Park Police Department, Colorado Department of Transportation, other regional fire departments through the Mountain Area Mutual Aid Program, and the United States Forest Service. Additionally, fire suppression was supported by two helicopters and a single engine air tanker. 

The pre-evacuation areas along U.S. Highway 40 and Colorado 125 will remain in pre-evacuation status throughout the night and into thursday, Aug. 7. The situation will be reevaluated in the morning.

There are no current evacuations. Fire and law personnel will remain on scene throughout the night and fire personnel will continue their operations on Thursday. 

Highway 40 will remain closed from Highway 34 to Hot Sulphur Springs in both directions overnight and into the morning hours. This is due to the proximity of the fire to Highway 40.

Colorado 125 also remains closed and will be reassessed on Thursday. Alternate travel routes are Grand County Road 57 or Grand County Road 55. Neither of these routes are approved for commercial motor vehicle traffic and I-70 is recommended as an alternate route. 

6:30 p.m. Aug. 6: Per the Colorado Department of Transportation, U.S. Highway 40 is closed eastbound at 1st Street in Hot Sulphur Springs at Mile Point 202. (There is a soft closure for commercial motor vehicles; detour via Colorado Highway 9 to I-70.)

5:12 p.m. Aug. 6: Per the Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado Highway 125 is closed in both directions between U.S. Highway 40 and County Road 28 (21 to 53 miles south of Walden) from mile point 0 to mile point 32.

4:44 p.m. Aug. 6: Mountain Park Electric is working with first responders and with our power transmission partners — Tri-State and WAPA — in response to the Windy Gap fire for public safety power shut offs.

“As the fire approaches transmission lines, MPE is working on de-energizing specific areas and switching — feeding power from other areas of our system,” the utility company stated on Facebook. “Outages will likely occur throughout the system and will be ongoing if the fire continues to spread. Outages will be sporadic and for various amounts of time as this switching takes place.”

Power went out in parts of Granby between 3 and 5 p.m. At 5:15 p.m., power was in parts of Kremmling, but returned at 5:30 p.m.

3:04 p.m. Aug. 6: the Grand County Sheriff’s Office issued pre-evacuation orders for the area around the fire.

“The Windy Gap Fire has grown in size,” the Sheriff’s Office stated. “(We have) issued a pre-evacuation order, so you can prepare in the event that a mandatory evacuation order is issued. Please have all necessary items ready to go, such as a change of clothes, extra pair of shoes, prescription meds, identification, wallets, cash, water and snacks. Don’t forget your pets and their food, bowls and meds. If you do not feel safe, you can evacuate on your own. Please do not call 911 unless you have an emergency. This is a pre-evacuation notification only.”

Check GC Emergency.com and Grand County Sheriff’s Office Facebook Page for further information. View the Grand County evacuation area map here.

Mountain Parks Electric is enacting a public safety power shut-off around the area of the fire in locations that may affect power to Hot Sulphur Springs, the utility company stated on Facebook. As the fire progresses, other public safety shut-off may be required. Updates will be share on the Mountain Parks Electric Facebook page and on MPEI.com.

2:10 p.m. Aug 6: Highway 40 is closed west of Granby in both directions between Drowsey Water and CO 125 (one to two miles west of Granby) from mile point 208 to mile point 209. Expect delays due to fire activity. Earlier in the afternoon, there was a reduction to one-lane alternating traffic to allow for fire apparatus and emergency vehicles on the roadway.

County Road 57 has been designated as an alternate route both directions. Commercial motor vehicles are not approved for the alternate route.

Original story: Grand Fire Protection District No. 1 and the Grand County Sheriff’s Office are currently on scene of a small wildland fire in the area just west of Windy Gap Reservoir. It is estimated to be one to two acres, as of 1:30 p.m. The fire is along the side of the road near the intersection of Colorado 125 and U.S. Highway 40, just south of the burn scar left by the Troublesome Fire in 2020.

As a reminder, CodeRED is the cellular emergency notification system that Grand County uses to notify residents and visitors about time-sensitive and/or emergency information that may impact your area. Sign up your cell phone for CodeRED alerts by visiting GCEmergency.com.