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Evacuations ordered near Cutler Creek as rain pummels burn scar

UPDATE, 9:45 p.m. U.S. Highway 550 reopened between Ridgway and Ouray Wednesday night, authorities announced at 9:15 p.m. Emergency officials encourag...

July 29, 2026

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UPDATE: Pilot in fatal crash identified as Canadian man

Editor's note: This story has been changed to correctly indicate the change in the team overseeing the fire response. The pilot who died when his airc...

July 13, 2026

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Forest closure expands as fire makes another big run

The U.S. Forest Service this afternoon expanded the closure area in the Uncompahgre National Forest east of Ridgway, as the Gold Mountain Fire makes a...

July 2, 2026

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Firefighters building, reinforcing lines, as high winds return today

Firefighters will focus their efforts today on building and reinforcing firelines in an effort to keep the Gold Mountain Fire from spreading south tow...

June 30, 2026

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Persistent windy, dry weather hampers firefighters

UPDATE, 4:40 p.m.: Firefighters battling the 7,100-acre Gold Mountain Fire on the ground and in the air are focused on preventing the blaze from cross...

June 29, 2026

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Ouray cancels Fourth of July fireworks

The city of Ouray has canceled its Fourth of July fireworks display in light of dangerous fire conditions. Brooke Warren, a spokeswoman for the city, ...

June 28, 2026

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Gold Mountain Fire grows, prompts evacuations north of Ouray

Click here to read the NEW, UPDATED STORY POSTED AT 10:20 a.m. Sunday, June 28 here. UPDATE, 11:16 p.m.: A pre-evacuation notice has been issued for C...

June 27, 2026

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Crews working to fill 1950s-era well along U.S. 550

Reclamation part of orphaned and abandoned well program

By Chart Riggall

September 4, 2026

It’s not what you think. A towering steel drill rig that’s been perched along the side of U.S. Highway 550 in recent weeks isn’t probing for gas, or oil, or even a route to the Far East. The operation...

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Trump declares disaster for Gold Mountain, Aspen Acres fires

By Chart Riggall

September 4, 2026

President Donald Trump has signed off on a major disaster declaration for the Gold Mountain and Aspen Acres fires that unlocks millions of dollars in Federal Emergency Management Agency relief funds f...

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Hickenlooper hopeful for fire disaster order

Senator tours flood-damaged areas, surveys planned fire mitigation efforts

By By Chart Riggall chart@ouraynews.com

September 2, 2026

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper said Friday he was optimistic the Trump administration will declare the Gold Mountain Fire a federal disaster, arguing Congress “wouldn’t settle for” the White House withho...

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County employees remain on paid leave

EMS paramedic, deputy emergency manager sent home days after fire started

By By James Hanlon james@ouraynews.com

September 2, 2026

Ouray County has had two emergency-related employees on paid administrative leave since the early days of the Gold Mountain Fire. A third employee, Road and Bridge Superintendent Ty Barger, was placed...

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Businesses share struggles with senator

'You guys are in crisis,' Hickenlooper tells proprietors wrestling with aftermath of Gold Mountain Fire

By Mike Wiggins mike@ouraynews.com

September 2, 2026

Ouray County business owners bent the ear of U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper on Friday, sharing stories of declining profits and mass cancellations in the wake of the Gold Mountain Fire in the hopes the D...

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Remote-triggered avalanche in San Juan Mountains

First responders receive first COVID-19 vaccines