A scaled-back Fourth of July celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States and 150th birthday of Ouray attracted thousands to the city, despite the cancellation of fireworks, water fights and an Air Force flyover that couldn’t happen due to aerial firefighting operations holding back the Gold Mountain Fire.
The fire, which started on June 27 on the cliffs above U.S. Highway 550 about two miles north of town, spread northeast to the Cimarrons, driven by winds that swept the billowing smoke away from Ouray and toward Ridgway and Montrose, where it settled in a grayish-brown haze, obscuring the mountains.
Other than the highway being closed — due to traffic congestion caused by looky loos stopping to take photos of the fire, combined with emergency traffic — there were no signs in Ouray that more than 600 firefighters were camped 10 miles away at the Ouray County Fairgrounds, working daily to protect the community from a fire that had topped 25,000 acres by July 4.
Some Ouray business owners posted photos on social media of blue skies to the south, declaring Ouray open for business. To the north, helicopters and planes swooped in, one after another, dropping water and fire retardant to slow the burn of the fire and keep it from dropping down the mountain toward homes.
Some locals asked leaders to cancel the festivities, saying they could create a dangerous situation with the demand on emergency services already worn thin by the fire response.
Some lobbied for the city to hold the water fights, declaring they would boost morale and that keeping tradition was important.
“Let’s remember why we celebrate the 4th of July!!! It’s to celebrate our independence for the greatest country on earth. Let’s bring people to Ouray and help all of the business’s that are suffering tremendously because the media has literally scared everyone away from town,” wrote Richard Weber III, a Ridgway resident who has won the water fight competition in the past and competes yearly. “We cannot drown our selves in sorrows for a natural disaster that literally could have been 100x worse than it was.”
Others argued against it, saying it didn’t seem right to use precious water supplies in such a dry year by blasting people with fire hoses in the street. Some said they weren’t sure it was fair to ask the Ouray Volunteer Fire Department to organize and operate the festivities, after helping to protect homes from the fire for more than a week before the holiday.
Others urged caution and advised people to be vigilant and remember the fire still threatened the community.
“The fire is not gone,” posted Erin Latta, the co-owner of Artisan Bakery. “Fires can ‘lay down’ at night, the winds calm… as soon as the wind picks up and the sun starts beating down they wake back up!” She included a photo showing the white, cauliflower-shaped pyrocumulus cloud blossoming over the cliffs, looking north from Ouray.
“Beautiful blue skies in Ouray today,” posted John Lorimer from the Beaumont Hotel, with a photo showing clear skies looking away from the fire. “The hotels, restaurants, shops and stores are all open waiting for you to visit. So come visit one of the most beautiful places in the world.”
Some Ouray business owners openly worried about the financial impacts of the Gold Mountain Fire, the lingering haze and other fires burning in the state, especially coming off a mild winter that generated below- average lodging and short-term rental tax revenue for the city.
There was also conflict over whether the local detour for traffic around the highway closure was meant for tourists. The highway first closed the night the fire started, after it dropped down the cliffs over Rotary Park and rained sparks down the mountain near the road. When it reopened on July 1, some people declared Ouray open for business. But then authorities closed the highway again on July 2, forcing a detour on County Road 23, saying the road was too congested and they needed to do so for safety reasons.
As the visitors who kept their lodging reservations and came for the parade drove into town, residents who lived in mandatory evacuation areas remained displaced, unable to return home due to the fire danger.
Others who weren’t yet ordered to evacuate watched the smoke from their front doors and saw the fire perimeter grow, packing their bags just in case they needed to leave, too.
The city of Ouray delayed its decision to hold the parade until July 1, saying it needed input from the Ouray County sheriff on whether his agency had the bandwidth to provide law enforcement services and respond if there was an emergency, since Ouray has not had a functioning police department for nearly six months.
The parade included fewer fire engines and far less water being sprayed on the crowd than past parades. This year’s procession along Main Street did feature some unique elements, including floats and vehicles decorated and driven by several of Ouray’s founding families commemorating the city’s sesquicentennial.
Ouray County sheriff’s deputies manned the parade route until it started, then left to help patrol areas related to the fire. Citadel Security, a private contract security company, stationed personnel along the routes to help with traffic and crowd control during the celebration.
