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2026 Colorado wildfires

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2026 Colorado wildfires
Aerial view of the Ferris Fire on June 28
Statistics
Burned area~80,740 acres
Season
← 2025

The 2026 Colorado wildfires are a series of active wildfires currently ongoing in Colorado.

Background

Main article: List of Colorado wildfires

While "fire season" varies every year in Colorado, most wildfires occur in between May and September. However, there is an increasing fire danger in winter months. Fire conditions can be exacerbated by drought, strong winds, and vegetation growth. Climate change is leading to increased temperatures, lower humidity levels, and drought conditions are happening more often. Additionally, warmer temperatures and less precipitation can result in less snowmelt, further contributing to bad wildfire conditions.[1]

Colorado had one of its lowest snowpacks on record during the 2025-26 North American winter due to warm and dry conditions, particularly in the western part of the state. These conditions left Colorado more vulnerable to wildfires then usual.[2]

List of wildfires

The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 ha), produced significant structural damage, or resulted in casualties.

Name County Acres Start date Containment date Notes Ref.
County Road 89 Morgan, Weld 1,089 February 17 February 17 [3]
County Road 169 Highway 24 Elbert, Lincoln 5,599 February 17 February 18 [4]
Dahlberg Douglas 1,081 February 24 February 24 [5][6]
113 Logan 5,125 February 25 February 25 [7]
Range 121 El Paso 1,100 March 15 March 16 [8]
Nineteen El Paso 1,600 March 18 March 19 [9]
24 Pueblo, Fremont, El Paso 7,404 March 18 April 2 Closed and prompted several evacuations near State Highway 115 for multiple days. [10][11][12][13]
Schwachheim Las Animas 1,582 April 12 April 24 Burned southeast of Trinidad. [14][15]
Highway 36 Yuma 1,000 April 13 April 13 Closed Highway 36. [16]
Hammer El Paso 4,958 April 22 April 24 Prompted evacuations for Hanover and closed schools in Hanover School District 28. [17][18]
Poitrey Canyon Las Animas 2,113 April 24 May 3 Human-caused. Burned 45 miles (72 km) south of La Junta. [19][20][21]
Ferris Montezuma, Dolores 14,482 June 27
0%
 Merged with Far Draw and Doe Canyon fires on June 28th. Prompting evacuations for campgrounds northeast of Pleasant View. [22][23]
Snyder Mesa, Grand (UT) 28,265 June 27
0%
 Killed three firefighters and injured two. [24][25]
Willow Lake 1,066 June 28
0%
 Burning below Mount Massive, forced evacuations west of Leadville [26][27]
Gold Mountain Ouray 4,276 June 27
0%
 Burning 1.3 miles north of Ouray along U.S. Route 550. [28]

References

  1. ^ "Colorado Fire Season: In-Depth Guide". wfca.com. Western Fire Chiefs Association. Retrieved May 25, 2025.
  2. ^ Longwell, Ali (February 26, 2026). "Colorado considers earlier than normal activation of Drought Task Force as snowpack continues to lag behind". Aspen Times. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  3. ^ "County Road 89 Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  4. ^ "County Rd 169 Hwy 24 Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  5. ^ "Dahlberg Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  6. ^ "Dahlberg Fire burns more than 1,000 acres in rural part of Colorado's Douglas County, evacuations lifted - CBS Colorado". www.cbsnews.com. February 24, 2026. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  7. ^ "113 Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
  8. ^ "Range 121 Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  9. ^ "Nineteen Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  10. ^ "24 Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  11. ^ Luebke, Rick (March 26, 2026). "24 Fire". 5280Fire. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  12. ^ Hulting, Aidan (March 25, 2026). "24 Fire 86 percent contained, remains at over 7000 acres, Highway 115 back open". KOAA News 5. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  13. ^ Smith, Nick (March 25, 2026). "Wednesday 24 fire update: Crews make 'great' progress on containment; cause released". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  14. ^ "Schwachheim Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  15. ^ "News Release: Governor Polis Verbally Declares Emergency in Response to Schwachheim Fire Near Trinidad | Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management". dhsem.colorado.gov. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  16. ^ "Highway 36 Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved April 14, 2026.
  17. ^ "Hammer Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
  18. ^ Prentzel, Olivia (April 23, 2026). "Evacuation order lifted for wildfire burning southeast of Colorado Springs". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
  19. ^ "Poitrey Canyon Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  20. ^ "Poitrey Canyon Fire burning in Las Animas County burns more than 2K acres". Daily Dispatch. April 28, 2026. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  21. ^ "Lt. Governor Primavera Memorializes Verbal Disaster Declaration For Poitrey Canyon Fire in Las Animas County | Colorado Governor Jared Polis". governorsoffice.colorado.gov. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  22. ^ "Ferris Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  23. ^ Duran, Bailey (June 27, 2026). "Blazes northeast of Pleasant View total 5,800 acres; no homes threatened". The Durango Herald. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  24. ^ "Snyder Fire Map". WatchDuty. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  25. ^ "Three firefighters killed, 2 injured in Snyder wildfire on Utah-Colorado border". Reuters. June 28, 2026. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  26. ^ "Watch Duty - Wildfire Maps & Alerts". Watch Duty. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
  27. ^ Braithwaite, Michael (June 28, 2026). "Mandatory evacuations near Leadville as Willow Fire grows to over 1K acres". Denver Gazette. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
  28. ^ "Watch Duty - Wildfire Maps & Alerts". Watch Duty. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
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