By Shannon Lukens for Steamboat Radio News. THIS STORY WILL BE UPDATED.
- Video of Fishhook Fire from Steamboat Springs (when it was starting)
- Watch Duty App
- InciWeb updates from USFS
- Know Your (Evacuation) Zone
- Sign up for Routt County Alerts
- Updates from Routt County
Each fire is being updated on the following links:
Picture of Fishhook Fire taken at 5 p.m. Monday, July 13, from Rabbit Ears Pass. Courtesy Abby Becker.
UPDATE at 8 p.m. Monday, July 13, on InciWeb – Incident Overview
The fire became active Monday afternoon, spotting ahead of itself and growing primarily south. Growth stopped short of Highway 40 on Rabbit Ears Pass, but the fire is now within a mile of the roadway. Highway 40 is open. Travelers should expect to see smoke Tuesday afternoon and there is the possibility the highway could close if fire activity comes nearer.
A mapping flight occurred Monday afternoon, but active fire behavior rendered the reported acreage inaccurate. 200 acres is a very rough estimate. A new mapping flight will occur on Tuesday. Acreage will be updated daily as verified by flights.
Both aerial and ground resources engaged with the fire on Monday, with 100 personnel assigned to the fire.
Smoke should be expected in surrounding areas, especially down Walton Creek drainage in mornings.
An incident management team has been ordered.
An area closure for the surrounding Forest will occur soon, but needs adjustments after today’s growth
Pre-evacuation questions should be directed to Routt County Emergency Management at (970) 871-8444
Update provided by Inciweb and the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests & Thunder Basin National Grassland on Facebook.
UPDATE at 7:56 p.m. Monday — Routt County Sheriff: Evacuation zone OC-536 has been moved from Evacuation back to Pre-Evacuation status. This is for the Green Ridge Fire.
UPDATE at 6:15 p.m. Monday, July 13.
Oak Creek Fire has continued working on the Green Ridge Fire in South Routt County. Kenyon Shephard is the current Incident Commander.
“The fire is currently still mapped at 44 acres. It has not moved since yesterday. It was mapped last night at 18-hundred hours. Today we had about 100 people on the fire. We utilized one Type 1 Helicopter and we made really good progress. Right now, we are still seeing some isolated torching and smoldering within the fire perimeter. But we are making good progress and we’re calling it 27 percent contained.”
A new Type 3 Incident Management team from Colorado will be assuming control of the fire sometime after 8 p.m. tonight.
Photos of Fishhook Fire courtesy Adele Taber.
Monday at 5:28 p.m. The size of the Fishhook Fire is 157 acres with 0% containment, per the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). Update is from Watch Duty App and Adam Johnson, the Regional Captain.
Monday, July 13, UPDATE at 3:06 p.m. from Watch Duty App and Adam Johnson, the Regional Captain.
Firefighters continue to make progress on the Green Ridge Fire, with the fire holding at 44 acres and showing no growth overnight. Activity remains primarily smoldering with isolated torching, and containment has increased to 27%.
Approximately 100 personnel are assigned to Green Ridge Fire, including local, state, federal, and contracted firefighting resources. A Type 1 helicopter remains assigned to the incident and is focused on suppression efforts along the eastern flank near County Road 16.
Evacuation statuses remain unchanged. Two zones received evacuation orders: OC-528, OC-536. Eight zones received pre-evacuation alerts: OC-521, OC-522, OC-523, OC-527, OC-529, OC-531, OC-532, OC-537
The Evacuation Center at Soroco High School (305 Grant Ave, Oak Creek, CO 80467) remains open to support affected residents and is primarily available for information and temporary necessities. The Center will be open until 8 p.m. on Monday, July 13. Routt County is evaluating the need for Evacuation Center and will post hours for Wednesday and beyond if it is determined there is a need. Please use the Routt County Office of Emergency Management Call Center 970-871-8444 or info@co.routt.co.us if you have any questions.
Fire officials will continue to monitor conditions and provide updates as new information becomes available. A Type 3 Incident Management Team is scheduled to assume command of the fire at 6:00 pm today to support ongoing operations, per Routt County. Road closures can also be found via the Routt County link. (and below in this report)
UPDATE at 12:36 p.m.
Road Closures due to Green Ridge Fire, from Routt County.
Routt County, CO, July 13, 2026 – The following roads are closed, effective immediately, due to the Green Ridge Fire firefighting operations and aerial water drops. Road barricades are in place and travel is restricted to emergency vehicles and resident property owners. Please note, co.routt.co.us/emergencymap has been updated with these closures.
- Routt County Road 16 at 18A
- Routt County Road 212 just past Schussmark Trail
- Snowbird Trail
- Broken Talon Trail
- Broken Talon Way
- Lynx Basin Way
- Lynx Basin Lane
- King Fisher Lane
- Green Ridge Drive
- Mountain Meadows Drive
- Ute Trail
- Cheyenne Trail
- Los Ranchos Road
- Commanche Road
Please stay out of the area. Individuals and vehicles entering the closed area are impeding active firefighting operations and emergency response efforts. Your cooperation is critical to public and firefighter safety.
Other General Emergency Resources:
- Routt County Active Emergencies Page (co.routt.co.us/emergency)
- Routt County Emergency Map (co.routt.co.us/emergencymap)
- Know Your Evacuation Zone (co.routt.co.us/knowyourzone)
Questions: Routt County Office of Emergency Management Call Center (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily) 970.871.8444, info@co.routt.co.us.
UPDATE at 11:53 a.m. Oak Creek Fire continues to work on the Green Ridge Fire in South Routt County. Here’s Fire Captain Morgan Olufsen.
“We have lots of resources on it and we’re making great headway.”
He expects an update to be released at 6 p.m. Monday evening.
UPDATE at 8 a.m. Monday, July 13, from INCIWEB
- Acreage will be updated as verified by flights
- Growth has occurred overnight and is anticipated today
- Smoke should be expected in surrounding areas
- An incident management team has been ordered
- Both aerial and ground resources will engage the fire today
- An area closure for the surrounding Forest will occur soon, still in development
- Highway 40 is open
- Reported mid-day Sunday, July 12, 2026
- Established at the head of Walton Creek
- Approximately one mile southeast of the ski resort, 1.5 miles north of Highway 40 (Bruce’s Trailhead)
- Heavy initial aerial response from helicopters
- Difficult ground access
- Additional resources ordered and in route
- More information will be added to this page as it becomes available
- An additional wildfire is burning in the area south of Highway 40 on private land. Named the Green Ridge Fire. Routt County has issued evacuations for that fire. Information
UPDATE Monday morning at 10:30 a.m. July 13.
Video of Snowmaking Machines on Steamboat Resort
Steamboat Resort has turned on snowmaking machines to help with any fire threat. Right now, there isn’t one, but as Steamboat Resort Spokesperson Maren Franciosi says, “We recognize that wildfires can be unpredictable and we are taking proactive precautions.”
Steamboat Resort is operating 41 snowmaking guns to saturate the ground in the Tomahawk and Spike areas, and around Rendezvous Lodge, as a preventative measure.
“We continue to monitor the situation closely and remain in close coordination with agencies responding,” said Franciosi.
The Fishhook Fire is about three miles from the boundary of Steamboat Resort, in the Sunshine area.
Steamboat Resort is open for mountain operations today, including hiking and biking, the gondola and dining. Access to the upper mountain above Thunderhead will be closed along with Moonlight, Valley View, Spur Run and Valley View.
Steamboat Resort is working with those agencies responding to fire activity in the area.
While there is no immediate threat to the resort, access to the upper mountain is limited.
Franciosi adds, “We’d like to share deep gratitude to our staff, community, and first responders for their quick action as this situation has been rapidly evolving. As always, we ask everyone remain vigilant. If you notice anything out of the ordinary including smoke, fire, or any other potential safety concern, please report it immediately.”
Photos of the Green Ridge Fire from Sunday evening, courtesy Kai Cox with Yampa Fire.
Screenshot from Colorado Storm Chasers
Screenshots of the Fishhook Fire, via Watch Duty. The second picture shows the Green Ridge Fire in South Routt.
UPDATE at 8 p.m.
Watch Duty app has just reported that the Fishhook Fire is 94.3 acres per the perimeter uploaded to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), which is visible on the Watch Duty Map under the Active Fire Perimeters Map layer.
Aaron Voos with USFS says Four Type 1 helicopters are working the fire. Ground resources are on site and trying to establish an anchor point. More mapping flight is expected on Monday, to map the perimeter of the fire.
The fire is being updated on the USFS InciWeb site.
Incident Overview
- Reported mid-day Sunday, July 12, 2026
- As of Sunday p.m., 4 Type I helicopters are working the fire
- Ground resources are on site and are trying to establish an anchor point
- Smoke column is highly visible
- Established at the head of Walton Creek
- Approximately one mile southeast of the ski resort, just under two miles north of Highway 40 (Bruce’s Trailhead)
- Heavy initial aerial response from helicopters
- Difficult ground access
- Additional resources ordered and in route
- More information will be added to this page as it becomes available
- An additional wildfire is burning in the area south of Highway 40 on private land. Named the Green Ridge Fire. Routt County has issued evacuations for that fire.
Late Sunday, the Green Ridge Fire was at 44 acres, per WildCAD.
Governor Polis has verbally declared a Disaster Emergency in response to the Green Ridge Fire in Routt County.
“DENVER – Today, Governor Polis verbally declared a disaster emergency in response to the Green Ridge Fire, which is burning in Routt County and is currently estimated to be 25 acres total and is 0% contained. This fire threatens nearly 480 structures within three miles and has 20 homes under mandatory evacuation.
The Governor’s verbal declaration activates the State Emergency Operations Plan and directs the Department of Public Safety and its Divisions of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) and Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) to take responsibility for all response, recovery, and mitigation efforts on the Green Ridge Fire. This support includes State and interagency engines and handcrews, DFPC and interagency aviation resources, and incident management personnel and overhead to assist in management of the fire and containment efforts. In addition, DFPC is supporting Routt County and the incident with administrative and financial oversight and intelligence products that include imaging, mapping, and fire behavior modeling and projects. DHSEM is directly supporting the Routt County Emergency Manager and the emergency operations center with on-site area field managers. This declaration also authorizes the National Guard to assist in response efforts and makes it easier for out-of-state licensed emergency medical providers to assist in fire response efforts.”
UPDATE at 7:48 p.m. From one of the Oak Creek Fire firefighters, who asked not to be named. Most of the Green Ridge Fire has been “knocked out” with a large amount of it contained. “We have all kinds of resources on it and we’ll be working on it all night and all day tomorrow.”
He said to call back Monday for an update.
UPDATE at 6:35 p.m. — Evacuation Zones OC-522 and OC-523 have been moved back to Pre-Evacuation. Still under Evacuation Notice is OC-528 and OC-536.
UPDATE at 5:55 p.m.
Here’s more on the Fishhook fire with Aaron Voos is Public Affairs for the Routt National Forest.
“So the Fishhook Fire is pretty established in the Walton Creek Drainage on the Routt National Forest. It’s roughly 20 acres. Difficult ground access, but we did have initial success with aerial resources, which we are sharing with the Green Ridge Fire. Access on the ground is difficult, but we are attempting to get additional resources on site.”
Update at 5 p.m. The Green Ridge Fire is at 20 acres.
UPDATE AT 2:23 p.m. LEAVE NOW. EVACUATION ORDER for OC-522 and OC-523, from the Routt County Sheriff’s office. This is near Stagecoach due to the wildfire.
Order reads: Routt County Sheriff: Evacuation order for evacuation zones OC-522 and OC-523 near Stagecoach due to WILDFIRE. LEAVE NOW! If you do not leave now, you could be trapped, injured, or killed. Do not delay to pack belongings. Do not return home until told to do so. Only call 9-1-1 if you are experienced a personal emergency. Visit https://www.co.routt.co.us/1071/Active-Emergencies for more information.
UPDATE at 2:06 p.m. Pre-Evacuation Alert for OC-522 and OC-523 near Routt County, due to Green Ridge Wildfire.
This screenshot from the Watch Duty app shows planes and helicopters flying to the scene of Lynx Pass. It has been named the Green Ridge Fire. It is just below Stagecoach Reservoir. Address according to Watch Duty app is 23100 Block of County Road 212 in Oak Creek.
Green Ridge Fire photos courtesy Grasiela Michaels.
Address according to Watch Duty app is 23100 Block of County Road 212 in Oak Creek.
1:35 p.m. We are getting reports of a second fire starting possibly in the area of Lynx Pass.
1:01 p.m. The size of the fire is eight acres, per the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) and Watch Duty app.
12:45 p.m. Sunday, July 12 — We are getting many reports of a fire that is very visible from Steamboat Springs. The Watch Duty app is calling it the Fishhook Fire, per the National Interagency Fire Center, saying it is four miles SE of Mount Werner.
Watch Duty Regional Captain Adam Johnson says, “Aerial resources are now on scene per the Flight Tracker layer in the Watch Duty map.”
Steamboat Springs Fire Chief Chuck Cerasoli says the U.S. Forest Service is taking command and sending resources.
Maren Franciosi, spokesperson for Steamboat Resort, says, “We are aware of smoke visible in the vicinity of the resort. Exact location has not yet been confirmed but we are monitoring the situation closely and remain in communication with the appropriate agencies.
We are receiving MANY photos of this fire. We will put some here, but others are being shared on the Steamboat Radio Facebook page.