Glenwood Springs Fire Department

06/24/2026

NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

Date: June 23, 2026
Time: 2:30 pm

Title: STAGE 2 FIRE RESTRICTIONS BEGIN FRIDAY JUNE 26, 2026

IMPORTANT: Please direct any media requests to the contact above. Do not contact the Garfield County Emergency Communications Center or Patrol staff for media requests.

GARFIELD COUNTY, CO. –

STAGE 2 FIRE RESTRICTIONS BEGIN IN GARFIELD COUNTY FRIDAY JUNE 26, 2026 at 1:00 AM
Garfield County, CO, The Garfield County Sheriff’s Office, BLM lands, the Forest Service in Garfield County, and the seven Fire Districts in Garfield County are implementing Stage 2 Fire Restrictions effective at 1:00 a.m. Friday June 26, 2026. This applies to all of Garfield County.

This decision was made with thoughtful consideration. We look at the data as well as the potential for significant wildfires and balance it with the impacts to our community. The current active wildfires in Colorado have already stretched our available resources and effected our ability to respond as necessary.

Fire restrictions are implemented based on specific criteria to including moisture content of vegetation, weather outlooks, human risk factors and firefighting resource availability.

WHAT STAGE 2 FIRE RESTRICTIONS MEAN IN GARFIELD COUNTY
A) Use of fireworks - Not permitted
B) Burn Permits (General) - No Burn Permits will be issued. All previously-issued burn permits are cancelled.
C) Recreational Fires- No Recreational Fires
D) Cooking Fires – Use caution and keep attended. Cooking devices must be clean (including gas cylinder) and in proper working order.
a. Gas Grills – No permit required.
b. Charcoal and other Solid Fuel Grills & Cookers – No permit required in Developed Areas only.
c. In Undeveloped Areas, a permit from the local fire department may be required.
E) Smoking - Open Smoking allowed in Developed Areas.
a. In Undeveloped Areas, allowed only in an enclosed vehicle or building.

F) Welding and Spark-emitting cutting (Hot Work) - Developed area: Use extreme caution and take preventative measures as necessary.
a. Undeveloped area: Industrial use only. A permit from the local fire department may be required. Must be in a cleared area at least 10 feet in diameter with a designated lookout. Must have Class A fire extinguishing capabilities readily available.
G) Operating of internal combustion engine-powered equipment such as Chain Saws, hand-held tools, or generators without a spark-arresting device is prohibited. If described equipment does have a spark arresting device, you must have Class A fire extinguishing capabilities readily available, and round-point shovel (36" length minimum) shall be readily available for use.
H) Other internal combustion engine-powered equipment, such as tractors and mowers: Operate with extreme caution paying special attention in areas subject to extreme conditions that may be susceptible to ignition (dry weeds and grasses, etc.).
I) Use of explosives, explosive targets and steel or tracer bullets - Not permitted
J) Use of fi****ms – Steel jacket/core bullets (Armor Piercing) and tracer bullets are expressly prohibited. It is the responsibility of each independent range to ensure safe fire conditions at all times the range is in use. This includes: mitigating fuels that may potentially catch fire; monitoring downrange conditions/impacts; maintaining the ability to access and rapidly extinguish fires; notifying the local fire department immediately in the event of a fire of any size. Keeping a usable fire-extinguishing application method on hand is strongly recommended.
a. If shooting at an unattended range - including those on public and private property - the responsibility for ensuring safe fire conditions falls on the independent shooter.

By Definition:
A "Developed Area" is an area, whether within city limits or rural, that is groomed, manicured and or watered, where grasses, brush and trees are regularly attended to by landowner. This includes residential and business areas, improved recreational areas, parks and other common areas.
"Undeveloped Areas" are lands that are not groomed, manicured, or watered; where grasses, brush and trees have been allowed to grow in a natural environment. This includes green belts that are not landscaped or manicured, open space lands, non-manicured parklands, and other areas where the fire hazard presented by the vegetation is determined by the authority having jurisdiction or designee to be an undue wildland fire hazard.

Additional information will be released as it becomes available.
The mission of the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office is to provide solutions for the people through
professional, ethical and compassionate conduct.

06/23/2026

06/22/2026

Hearing saws around Oasis Creek?
That's the sound of wildfire mitigation!

Today, Rocky Mountain Youth Corps crews began a fuels reduction project on City-owned property to help create a healthier, more wildfire-resilient landscape. This effort is a partnership with the City of Glenwood Springs, Colo. Government, Glenwood Springs Parks & Recreation, Colorado State Forest Service, and Glenwood Springs Fire Department.

06/22/2026

06/18/2026

9:05 PM - Power has been restored in Glenwood Springs.
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7:30 PM - This is an Xcel Energy outage. Xcel Energy crews are performing work to safely restore power from outage affecting the region. Current Xcel outage estimates are between 8:45 and 10 PM depending on area. Link to outage Xcel map:
https://co.my.xcelenergy.com/s/outage-safety/outage-map

At this time, please do not call the electric company to report the outage, as they are already aware of the issue and are responding.
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7:30 PM - Este es un corte de energía de Xcel Energy. Los equipos de Xcel Energy están trabajando para restablecer el servicio eléctrico de manera segura en las zonas afectadas. Actualmente, Xcel estima que el servicio podría restablecerse entre las 8:45 p. m. y las 10:00 p. m., dependiendo del área.

Por el momento, no es necesario llamar a la compañía eléctrica para reportar el corte, ya que están al tanto de la situación y trabajando para resolverla.
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June 17, 7:10 PM - There is currently an electrical outage that is affecting areas of Glenwood Springs. Crews are responding. There is not currently an estimate for power to be restored. Updates will be shared here when they are available.
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17 de junio, 7:10 p. m. – Actualmente hay un corte de electricidad que afecta a zonas de Glenwood Springs. Hay equipos de trabajo respondiendo a la situación. Por el momento no se dispone de una estimación sobre cuándo se restablecerá el servicio. Se publicarán actualizaciones aquí a medida que estén disponibles.

06/11/2026

06/10/2026

Red flag warning is in effect 06/10/26 from 10:00 AM to 06/10/26 at 10:00 PM. No open burning permitted.

06/10/2026

UPDATE 3:37 pm

Fire crews have cleared the right lane of I-70 near the fire, and both lanes of I-70 are expected to reopen shortly.

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UPDATE 1:00 pm

Incident Commander Hostetler has declared the fire contained after firefighters successfully secured the established perimeter.

Fuels within the interior of the fire perimeter are expected to continue burning over the next few days, and smoke will remain visible in the area. Firefighters will continue to monitor the fire and address any concerns as needed.

A special thank you to the 24 Diamond Mountain Hotshots from California for their hard work and assistance on the fire this morning. The crew will be released from the incident at 2:00 p.m. today. We appreciate their dedication and support.

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UPDATE 9:50 am:

Firefighters continue to work in steep, rocky terrain to strengthen containment lines and suppress remaining hot spots. Updated mapping has more accurately measured the fire at 4.54 acres.

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Paradise Creek Fire
Morning Update

Crews are continuing suppression efforts today. Approximately 30 firefighters and agency partners attended this morning's briefing Incident objectives include firefighter and resident safety, achieving full containment, and minimizing additional impacts to I-70.

For firefighter safety and access, the slow lane of westbound I-70 in the incident area is expected to remain closed throughout the day. Please use caution and expect delays while traveling through the area.

Thank you for your patience and support.

06/10/2026

COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION:
🚫I-70 both directions is CLOSED🚫 - 6:20 p.m. (6/8/2026)
I-70 remains closed in both directions from Chacra, Mile Point 109, to Dotsero, MP 133, due to an active fire. There is no estimated time for opening. Commuters are encouraged to use the norther detour route.
Westbound travelers:
- Take the Wolcott Exit, 159, north on CO 131, to US 40. Stay on US 40 past Craig, then take CO 13 southbound back to I-70 at Rifle.
Eastbound travelers:
- Take the Rifle Exit north on CO 13 to US 40. Take US 40 through Craig to CO 131. Take CO 131 south to Wolcott and back onto I-70.
For further updates, check COtrip.org or the COtrip Planner App.

❗️TRAVEL ALERT | ROAD CLOSURE - I-70 from Chacra to Dotsero❗️

⚠️UPDATE - 8:10 p.m. (6/9) - I-70 eastbound is now open in both lanes. I-70 westbound is opening in stages. Traffic at the Glenwood Springs exit, 116, is being released westbound through one open lane on I-70 in the first stage. Once that queue has been lessened, westbound traffic held at the Dotsero exit, 133, will be released.

🚫I-70 both directions is CLOSED🚫 - 6:20 p.m. (6/9/2026) - I-70 remains closed in both directions from Chacra, Mile Point 109, to Dotsero, MP 133, due to an active fire. There is no estimated time for opening. Commuters are encouraged to use the norther detour route.

Westbound travelers:
- Take the Wolcott Exit, 159, north on CO 131, to US 40. Stay on US 40 past Craig, then take CO 13 southbound back to I-70 at Rifle.

Eastbound travelers:
- Take the Rifle Exit north on CO 13 to US 40. Take US 40 through Craig to CO 131. Take CO 131 south to Wolcott and back onto I-70.

For further updates, check COtrip.org or the Planner App.

06/09/2026

Last week we shared the live fire training our crews completed at our training grounds near the airport.

Today, we’re giving you a different perspective of the training from a firefighter inside the action.

Created by our GSFD Firefighter/Paramedic Dillon Robinson.