Hot, dry and windy conditions in western Colorado have officials looking at long-term plans to fight numerous fires

Montrose residents meet with officials for a Public meeting; Montrose School District provides space for the Incident Command Center.

On July 10, lightning strikes ignited fires on both the north and south rims of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, leading to the entire park’s evacuation. Hot weather, gusty winds and dangerously low humidity helped fuel the fire’s growth, leading to more evacuations Saturday. The fire has been dubbed the South Rim Fire

Crews are fighting five western slope blazes, including one at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. See the latest map of the Colorado fires.

Several wildfires continue to eat their way through western Colorado, with the Turner Gulch fire in Mesa County growing more than 6,000 acres overnight after crossing over from Utah. On the other side of the canyon,

The Turner Gulch fire burning southwest of Grand Junction in western Colorado exploded overnight, more than quintupling in size and forcing new evacuations.

With large wildfires continuing to burn in Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis on Sunday issued a disaster declaration for fires burning in Montrose, Delta, and Mesa counties. More than a dozen wildfires were burning on