Gold Mountain Fire Grows to 39,675 Acres, Remains 87% Contained as Flash Flood Risk Increases

Description: The Gold Mountain Fire near Ouray grew to 39,675 acres and remains 87% contained. Heavy rain could bring flash flooding as crews monitor Cimarron Ridge...


Published: 1 hour ago
Byline: SECO News

Fire Update – Gold Mountain Fire
Thursday, August 13, 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: 39,675 acres | Containment: 87% | Cause: Undetermined | Start Date: June 27, 2026 @ 5:33p.m. | Location: Approx. 2 miles NE of Ouray, CO | Total Personnel: 125
 
Special Message: Fire activity stayed within the interior of the fire perimeter. Ridgway community members may see interior smoke or glowing pockets after dark. These are well within the fire's perimeter. If you see smoke that is concerning, please report it and fire personnel will investigate.
 
Current Situation: The Gold Mountain Fire grew approximately 30 acres yesterday. Most of the activity was on Cimarron Ridge. Crews scouted potential areas to construct fireline north of the Middle and East Fork of the Cimarron where there is currently uncontained fireline. It was determined that due to the hazardous terrain no firefighters will be working in the Middle Fork drainage.
 
Forest Service and BLM closures are still in effect. Road closures include FS Road 858 and Owl Creek Pass into the Cimarron Forks and Silver Jack Reservoir area. Please avoid closed areas.
 
Weather and Fire Behavior: Expect an increase in precipitation today. Multiple rounds of storms from the Southwest will push through the fire area. If the storms do push through the fire area there is a possibility of flash flooding. The probability of wetting rains is at 70%.
With the forecasted precipitation it is likely that the fire activity will continue to stay with in the fire footprint.
 
Closure Orders: Closure orders are still in effect throughout areas of the Gold Mountain Fire. 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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