UPDATE, 3 p.m.:

The highway has reopened with alternating lanes of traffic. Authorities urge motorists traveling through the area to use caution, as firefighters are still active in the area.

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U.S. Highway 550 remains closed this afternoon, due to concerns about access for emergency personnel and burning trees possibly falling onto vehicles from a wildfire on Red Mountain Pass. The highway is blocked from mile marker 87 to mile marker 92 at this time.

The fire remains at about five acres in size, according to Ouray County Emergency Manager Glenn Boyd. It was first reported by a passerby who called 911 around 10:30 a.m. Sunday. It quickly spread with high winds and dry conditions.

The fire is burning in a rugged, steep area near the avalanche snow shed on Red Mountain Pass. Boyd said fire managers discussed using aerial resources due to the difficult terrain, but high winds deterred that method on Sunday.

Today, the fire activity has died down a bit, and there are about 50 personnel working on the fire, including U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Ouray Volunteer Fire Department, the Ouray County Sheriff’s Office and the Ouray County Emergency Manager’s Office. About 40 of those firefighters spent the night camping in Fellin Park in Ouray.

The cause of this fire is still under investigation.

There was a separate fire reported in the area of Camp Bird Road on Saturday, which happened when a tree fell onto a power line. That fire was quickly extinguished and only grew to about half of an acre, according to Boyd.

The fire on Red Mountain Pass started in an area where power lines have been removed, due to San Miguel Power Association’s upgrades of its power distribution system.

Much of Ouray County remains under a red flag warning today, issued by the National Weather Service due to dry and windy conditions.