Colorado wildfire update: Obstinate Ryan fire northwest of Walden defies seasonal change

As Colorado’s wildfire season draws to a close, the Ryan fire continues to devour forest lands in Northern Colorado and Wyoming, authorities say.

While containment lines grow around most western Colorado wildfires, the Ryan fire has steadily grown to 21,631 acres in size.

It’s only 35 percent contained, and while the forecast along the Front Range calls for cooler temperatures Friday, the Ryan fire, which is about 27 miles northwest of Walden, will have warmer temperatures through the weekend.

A roundup of the largest active wildfires in Colorado follows.

RYAN FIRE

The National Incident Management Organization is set to take the reigns of fire control on Friday morning, according to an incident overview.

Helicopters have been used to make water and retardant drops on the southern perimeter of the fire to slow its growth towards the town of Pearl.

“Challenging weather conditions are predicted over the next four days with temperatures five to 10 degrees above normal and relative humidity values in the low teens,” the incident report says.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

BULL DRAW FIRE

Like most Colorado wildfires, cooler weather has helped firefighters build containment lines nearly completely surrounding this fire.

The lightning-caused 36,549-acre wildfire about 12 miles northwest of Nucla is now at 95 percent containment.

Personnel numbers are down to 40 firefighters. They are primarily on patrol duty, making sure that the fire does not break through containment lines.

SILVER CREEK FIRE

The lightning-caused fire 16 miles northwest of Kremmling is now at 60 percent containment. It has reached 18,719 acres in size.

Fire managers are gradually reducing staffing, which was still at 591 firefighters on Thursday. Two helicopters are still tasked to the fire.

Continued dry weather is a lingering concern.

“On Friday, expect another round of very dry conditions with minimum humidity in the teens and afternoon gusts around 22 mph. High temperatures will be in the upper 60s to low 70s,” the incident report says.

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