Brush fires, smoke closes Interstate 70 near Rifle, says CDOT

RIFLE, Colo. — Several brush fires along Interstate 70 between Rifle and Parachute shut down a portion of the interstate Monday because the blowing smoke from the fires is a hazard to drivers, the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office said. 

“Looks like sparks from a chain or something stirred up multiple grass fires,” Garfield County Sheriff Walter Stowe said. “The highway was closed because of visibility issues from the smoke.”

Stowe said there is a frontage road being used as a detour on U.S. 6 that bypasses the area. 

“Drivers can go on the frontage road to get around. Crews are addressing the fire near the highway,” Stowe said. “There is no dangerous spread of the fire. The only thing they did was an airdrop of water to stop the fire from running up the side of the highway. Mostly the highway is closed to get firefighting equipment in and out of the area.”

Crews from Colorado River Fire Rescue, the Grand Valley Fire Protection District and the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit are working to control multiple fires near mile marker 87 westbound. 

The Colorado Department of Transportation is monitoring the fire for any changes. The CDOT Hanging Lake station monitors that portion of the highway and wanted drivers to know that U.S. 6, adjacent to the interstate, is the detour.

“CDOT has six miles closed between the Rifle and Parachute exits on I-70,” CDOT spokesperson Bob Wilson said. “There is no ETA of the highway reopening, but there are no injuries or structures, homes in danger from the fire.”