Several fires currently burning in Colorado, limited air quality impacts expected on Tuesday evening

Several fires are currently burning in Colorado, as of Tuesday evening. Currently significant impacts on air quality remain pretty limited.

The two most notable fires are the Bee Hive Fire in northwest Montrose County and the Paradise Creek Fire in eastern Garfield County, just west of Glenwood Springs.

The Bee Hive Fire was mapped at 180 acres on Tuesday. The fire was observed to be active at times throughout the day, however webcam imagery shows that smoke remains mainly diffuse in this area, with dense smoke lofting away from the surface in areas closest to the fire. Additionally, the smoke from this fire remains in rural portions of Montrose County. Smoke may be present in areas near the fire northeast of Paradox, along Roc Creek and the Dolores River in Bee Hive Canyon.

Webcam from 360Overwatch shows diffuse smoke and a faint plume rising from the Bee Hive Fire.

The Paradise Creek Fire is located along I-70 in Garfield County, just west of Glenwood Springs. This fire is much smaller in size, around 8-10 acres, and is creating patchy areas of intermittent smoke, as observed on CDOT Cameras. Due to fire activity and responding resources, I-70 has been closed near this fire. Smoke remains moderate, and highly localized in the immediate vicinity of the fire. Significant and widespread public health impacts are not currently expected.

 CDOT webcam image of I-70 with traffic congestion due to closure near the Paradise Creek fire.

Several smaller fires are also known in other counties throughout Colorado, yet are reported at sizes smaller than 20 acres, and have very limited information. Available information can be found through WatchDuty. 

As of Tuesday evening, no Advisories have been issued for these incidents. However CDPHE meteorologists are monitoring conditions and will issue Air Quality Health Advisories if they become warranted.

As always, we recommend that if smoke is affecting you or is noticeable in your area, consider taking precautions to protect your health.