YOUR AD HERE »

Crosho Fire west of Yampa reaches 500 acres, mandatory evacuation orders issued

Emma Pilger
Steamboat Pilot
Share this story
Fire crews respond to Crosho Fire on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2025. The fire grew to 500 acres Wednesday morning.
Trevor Ballantyne/Steamboat Pilot & Today

The Crosho Fire, west of Phippsburg and Yampa, spread to 500 acres, according to a Wednesday morning update from InciWeb.

The four zones initially established in the area of the fire were also divided into 10 separate zones, with Phippsburg now in Zone 10 and Yampa in Zone 6.

By 12:30 p.m., Zones 3 and 4 were issued “Go” evacuation orders. Zones 2, 5, 7 , 8 and 9 were also issued “Set” pre-evacuation orders. Three zones were added south of the fire. Zones 11, 12 and 13 were issued “Ready” pre-evacuation orders around 1:15 p.m. To view the evacuation zones, visit TinyUrl.com/3p5b6rjw.



Tuesday evening, the following roadways were closed:

  • Routt County Road 15 from the intersection of Routt County Road 17 to Crosho Lake
  • Routt County Road 132 from Routt County Road 15 to Dunckley Pass
  • Routt County Road 25 from Routt County Road 132A to Routt County Road 132
  • Routt County Road 19 from Routt County Road 15 to Routt County Road 25
  • Rio Blanco County Road 8 (Dunckley Pass) closed at the intersection of Rio Blanco County Road 8 and Rio Blanco County Road 19 

According to a Wednesday morning statement from the town of Oak Creek, the fire crossed county lines from Rio Blanco County to Routt County overnight, burning on private land. Nearby landowners were contacted and made plans to evacuate livestock if needed.



Fire crews focused on structure protection and aerial suppression throughout Tuesday. Nearly 200 fire personnel — including firefighters from the Forest Service, Steamboat Springs, Oak Creek and Yampa — will continue to fight the fire on Wednesday.

Zones 3 and 4 were issued “Go” evacuation orders around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. Zone 5 was also issued a pre-evacuation order.
Screenshot/ Experience.arcgis.com

An evacuation center was established at the South Routt Elementary School, 448 Main Street, in Yampa, according to a Tuesday afternoon news release from the county.

The evacuation center will be open and staffed 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily as needed. The news release notes that the center is not an overnight shelter and should be used for information and temporary needs. Animals are not allowed.

The Routt County Humane Society asks the community to donate dry and canned dog and cat food and dog treats to support South Routt residents who may be evacuated. Donations can be dropped off at 760 Critter Court.

Evacuating residents with livestock should contact Todd Hagenbuch at 970-879-7247. Those able to assist with evacuated livestock can fill out a form at TinyUrl.com/3ctpeyab.

Stagecoach Reservoir closed to all boating around 4 p.m. Tuesday to allow planes to pick up water. The reservoir will remain closed until further notice.

The Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland are anticipating closures as well. Residents and visitors should avoid the areas.

Routt County residents are encouraged to subscribe to the Routt County Emergency Alert System, which informs residents of emergencies and incidents as they happen.

To sign up for Routt County Emergency Alerts, visit TinyUrl.com/mv5pbjtk.

For updated Crosho Fire updates, visit Co.Routt.Co.Us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=746.

Share this story

Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

The Sky-Hi News strives to deliver powerful stories that spark emotion and focus on the place we live.

Over the past year, contributions from readers like you helped to fund some of our most important reporting, including coverage of the East Troublesome Fire.

If you value local journalism, consider making a contribution to our newsroom in support of the work we do.