The Sylvan Fire has grown to more than 3,500 acres since it started burning on Sunday afternoon, and has impacted parts of Eagle and Pitkin counties.
EAGLE COUNTY, Colo. — Firefighters have no containment estimate on the 3,583 acre blaze that has closed Sylvan Lake State Park and has led to evacuation and pre-evacuation orders in Eagle and Pitkin counties.
The Sylvan Fire is believed to have been sparked by lightning on Sunday afternoon. It is burning in an area popular for outdoor recreation about 16 miles south of Eagle, and a plume of smoke is visible in much of the surrounding area.
Smoke from this fire and others burning in Colorado has made for poor air quality along the Front Range this week.
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There is a 6 p.m. community meeting scheduled for Wednesday night where fire officials will provide updates about their progress battling this blaze. 9NEWS will live stream the news conference in the video player above, on 9NEWS streaming devices, on the 9NEWS YouTube channel and on the 9NEWS app.
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The following areas have been closed and evacuated due to the Sylvan Fire:
- Fulford
- Sylvan Lake State Park
- Crooked Creek Pass
- Yeoman Park
- The Lede Reservoir area
- Hardscrabble
- Hat Creek
- Peter Estin Hut
Sylvan Lake Road is closed and Brush Creek Road is closed at Hardscrabble Road, according to Eagle County’s emergency management system.
The following areas are under pre-evacuation orders:
- Frost Creek
- Salt Creek
- Brush Creek
The Upper Frying Pan River areas from the Ruedi Dam to Hagerman pass, including Meredith and Thomasville.
As of Wednesday morning, firefighters were working to hold off a section of the Sylvan Fire that had crossed West Brush Creek Road. The crews have received aid from two heavy helicopters and a light helicopter.
Incident managers said fire crews are working east of Crooked Creek Park to keep the fire from moving farther south, and to contain the heel of the fire on the north side.
Due to these efforts, people should be aware of increased fire traffic in the downtown Eagle area. The crews will be based out of Eagle Valley Middle School.
For information about pre-evacuation notices, visit:
Eagle County: www.ecemergency.org
Pitkin County: www.pitkincounty.com
The map below is from the closure area for the fire:
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