Containment on the five wildfires burning across Colorado’s Western Slope continues to grow, fire officials said Sunday.

The four still-spreading wildfires in western Colorado have largely slowed as firefighters increase containment around their borders and weekend rainstorms increase humidity.

Multiple fires saw overnight containment increases or are expected to see jumps in containment throughout the day Sunday, according to fire officials.

The 2,274-acre Sowbelly fire, which hasn’t grown since last week, was also 66% contained Sunday, fire officials said.

Three of the four active fires were sparked by lightning during the same July 10 storm. The Sowbelly fire also started during that storm. The fifth fire started in Utah and spread across the Colorado border.

Together, the fires burning on Colorado’s Western Slope have consumed nearly 25,000 acres.

Turner Gulch fire and Wright Draw fire near Gateway

Colorado’s largest wildfire, which has burned more than 15,000 acres, is 34% contained, fire officials said.

As of Sunday morning, the Turner Gulch fire had burned 15,737 acres, a 324-acre increase from Saturday. Containment did not increase overnight.

Most of the containment lies along Colorado 141 and the fire’s northern edge, Operations Section Chief Rob Powell said in a Sunday morning briefing.

Crews on Sunday were working to clear brush and debris from residential areas north of the contained fire line, Powell said.

Colorado 141 remains closed in both directions between 7.40 Road and 16.10 Road at mile marker 124, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

“I’ve got some really good news to report on Wright Draw,” Powell said in the Sunday briefing. “On tomorrow’s map, we’re going to start showing a lot of containment on the west side of the fire.”

While the 466-acre Wright Draw fire hasn’t grown much over the past few days, it’s yet to see any official containment because of how difficult it is for firefighters to access the burn area, officials said.

Crews headed out Sunday to solidify containment lines on the Wright Draw fire’s western edge, which is burning near the Turner Gulch fire on the opposite side of Unaweep Canyon, Powell said.

Rain in the area has increased humidity and slowed both fires’ spread, but since it hasn’t rained directly over the fires, dry fuels remain, fire officials said. Both fires are burning on a mix of dry trees, brush and grass.

Deer Creek fire near Paradox

A more than 16,000-acre wildfire burning across parts of Colorado and Utah was 22% contained Sunday morning, up from 17% Saturday, according to fire officials.

The Deer Creek fire, which sparked in Utah on July 10, had spread to more than 2,000 acres of Colorado land as of Sunday morning, fire officials said.

It was last mapped on 2,098 acres of Bureau of Land Management land in Colorado, but is also believed to have spread to several hundred acres of U.S. Forest Service land, officials said.

In Colorado, the fire is mostly burning on land north of U.S. 90 and south of U2 and T2 roads in Montrose County, about 3 miles west of Paradox, according to federal maps.

The fire has scorched 16,340 acres, according to a Sunday morning update from fire officials. Most of the contained area is along the fire’s western and southwestern edges in Utah.

More than 550 people, six helicopters, five dozers and 32 fire engines were battling the flames across the Utah-Colorado border on Sunday.

“In areas of the fire that are contained, suppression repair activities have been initiated,” fire officials stated in the update. “This includes the restoration of disturbed land from dozers and handlines.”

Crews are working Sunday to build containment lines on the fire’s southeastern edge, in Colorado, Operations Section Chief Jesse Schmidt said in a morning briefing.

South Rim fire near Montrose

The South Rim fire burning in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park saw minimal overnight growth again Sunday, and fire officials estimate it’s 21% contained.

As of Sunday morning, the Montrose County wildfire had scorched 4,252 acres, up only one acre from Saturday night.

The 21% containment is a 7% increase from Saturday, and more containment jumps are expected throughout the day Sunday, Operations Section Chief Tyler Nathe said in a Sunday morning briefing.

Flames continue to burn down into the bottom of Black Canyon, which is too steep for firefighters to access directly, but there’s “no threat for those to be coming back out and creating issues,” Nathe said.

More than 500 people, six aircraft and 24 fire trucks are battling the wildfire on Sunday, according to fire officials.

The fire has damaged or destroyed several buildings and other areas in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. That includes a welding shop, the facility management building, the Western National Parks warehouse and the South Rim campground.

The national park remains closed to the public for the foreseeable future. Multiple areas near the fire remain under evacuation orders, including Bostwick Park, according to the evacuation map.

Colorado 347 also remains closed at the U.S. 50 junction for the fire, according to state transportation officials.

________

©2025 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at denverpost.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.