Firefighters quickly contain wildfire near Monarch Lake
Update 3:45 p.m.: The Monarch fire has been 100% contained. Mop up continues and recreationists are asked to avoid the area until operations are complete.
Original: Firefighters are responding to a half-acre fire 2.5 miles east of Monarch Lake in Grand County.
According to the US Forest Service, the fire is in Indian Peaks Wilderness, near the junction of Cascade Creek and Buchanan Trails. Air support, hot shots and engines are en route.
Recreationists are also being told to leave the immediate area. The cause of the fire is unknown.
The Grand County Sheriff’s Office, Grand Fire District and US Forest Service are responding. Grand County is currently under a red flag warning until 8 p.m. Friday due to high winds and low humidity.
This new fire is several miles northeast from the Williams Fork Fire, which has been burning for seven weeks in Grand County.
This story will be updated.
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