Gold Mountain Fire Grows to 39,691 Acres, Remains 87% Contained as Cimarron Ridge Challenges Crews

Description: The Gold Mountain Fire near Ouray, Colorado, is 39,691 acres and 87% contained. Crews are targeting persistent hot spots as rugged Cimarron Ridge remains a priority...


Published: 08/16/2026
Byline: SECO News

Fire Update – Gold Mountain Fire
Sunday, August 16, 2026 – 8:00 a.m.
 
Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 2
Rodney Redinger, Incident Commander
 
Information Phone: 970-355-3286
Email: 2026.goldmountain@firenet.gov
Information Staffing Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
 
Size: 39,691 acres | Containment: 87% | Cause: Undetermined | Start Date: June 27, 2026 @ 5:33 p.m. | Location: Approx. 2 miles NE of Ouray, CO | Total Personnel: 86
 
Special Message: Communities experiencing large-scale, long-term fire incidents can easily become fatigued by having fire in their backyards. Changes in fire behavior on a daily or weekly basis can feel like whiplash, area closures prevent access to beloved public lands, and economic impacts can be catastrophic. Firefighters are doing everything they can to establish containment as quickly as possible so that life can return to normalcy. Rocky Mountain Team 2 sincerely appreciates the continued patience and gracious hospitality of residents. Unfortunately, it will likely be some time yet before the Gold Mountain Fire is declared “out”.
 
Current Situation: Additional handcrews arrived to the Middle and East Forks of the Cimarron yesterday. Recent moisture has created an opportunity for firefighters to work directly along portions of the fireline. Crews are extinguishing large dead and downed trees that have continued to hold heat despite recent rain.
 
Cimarron Ridge remains a priority for fire managers. The ridge is a long, parallel rock formation with significant amounts of fallen timber across the top at an elevation of nearly 12,000 feet. The steep, rugged terrain, heavy vegetation, erratic thunderstorms, and changing fire behavior create significant safety challenges for firefighters.
 
At the same time, the heavy vegetation on Cimarron Ridge provides continuous fuel that could allow the fire to spread toward homes, infrastructure, and other values north of the ridge. Fire managers are carefully evaluating opportunities to contain the fire in this area while balancing the need for effective suppression with firefighter safety.
 
Weather and Fire Behavior: The warmer, drier trend will continue across the region today. Humidity will drop into the 20s, with reduced cloud cover. This will allow more solar radiation to reach the vegetation. Smoke may be visible today in areas where minimal precipitation has occurred.
 
Closure Orders: Closure orders are still in effect throughout areas of the Gold Mountain Fire, including Owl Pass Road. For current closure information, please visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/.../gold-mountain-wildfire-area....
 
No Fly Zone: A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over the Gold Mountain and Elk Fire areas is in effect. Flying drones near the fire is prohibited and can interfere with firefighting aircraft, potentially grounding aerial suppression operations. For more information on safe drone operations, visit knowbeforeyoufly.org. For information on the TFR, visit https://tfr.faa.gov.
 
For More Information:
Information Phone: 970-355-3286
Email: 2026.goldmountain@firenet.gov
 


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