Jefferson County fire crews on Wednesday gained 60% containment on the lightning-sparked Goltra fire after it raced across nearly 200 acres of rocky slopes in Clear Creek Canyon overnight.

Fire crews responded to a lightning-sparked wildfire north of Lookout Mountain near Golden around 5 p.m. Tuesday. Flames quickly spread across an estimated 10 acres, fire officials said.

Witnesses saw lightning strike the mountain and the fire started shortly after, said Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jacki Kelley.

Strong winds in the canyon caused erratic fire behavior overnight, and it grew to nearly 200 acres by Wednesday morning, burning to the edge of U.S. 6, Kelley said.

But calmer winds, frequent water drops and the work of 65 firefighters scrambling across steep terrain held the fire’s size at 204 acres late Wednesday.

“All that we hoped would happen today is happening,” Kelley said at a briefing Wednesday afternoon.

The fire was 60% contained as of late Wednesday, and crews will resume fighting the blaze Thursday morning “to put this fire ‘to bed’ for good,” the sheriff’s office said in a post on X.

State transportation officials closed U.S. 6 in both directionsbetween U.S. 40 and Colorado 93 in Golden on Wednesday morning, but fire officials hope to have the highway open as soon as possible, Kelley said.

The terrain is more treacherous than what firefighters faced when fighting the 580-acre Quarry fire near Deer Creek Canyon, which started burning three weeks before the Goltra fire and is now 100% contained.

“[Firefighters] that were on the scene last night said that every step is rocky, every step is unsteady,” Kelley said Wednesday morning. “And once again we’re dealing with a lot of rattlesnake activity in that area.”

No homes or structures are threatened by the fire and fire officials do not believe any evacuation or pre-evacuation notices will be needed, Kelley said. Cooler weather on Thursday is expected to help fire conditions.

Originally Published: August 21, 2024 at 6:47 a.m.