Updated at 8:15 p.m.: U.S. 6 has reopened in both directions, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. Both lanes of eastbound Interstate 70 are now open, though the right shoulder is closed.
Updated at 10:10 a.m.: The fire spread to 27 acres before fire crews contained it, Hugh Fairfield Smith, incident commander for the Eagle River Fire with the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit said in a video posted to Facebook Friday morning.
Firefighters were able to keep the fire within the footprint of Interstate 70 and U.S. 6.
About 60 firefighters will continue to work on the fire throughout the day, Smith said, and some smoke may still be visible from hotspots.
U.S. 6 remains closed as electricity crews work on the power poles, and Interstate 70 westbound is down to one lane in the immediate area while fire crews work on the fire.
Updated at 7:15 a.m. Sept. 8: The Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit on Thursday evening on Facebook said the fire incident commander called the fire contained. Officials estimated the fire at 15 acres.
During the height of the fire, ten engines, two hand crews, an air tanker, a helicopter and about 75 people were working on the fire, according to a news release from the Eagle River Fire Protection District. Two dozen agencies from around the area responded to assist in the fire.
CDOT crews will be working with fire and energy crews Friday morning to assess conditions as early as possible with the goal of reopening U.S. 6 once it is safe.
Updated at 5:32 a.m. Sept. 8: I-70 has reopened in both directions near Eagle, but the U.S. 6 closure remains in effect due to downed power lines caused by the fire, according to CDOT.
Westbound Interstate 70 has reopened after a head-on collision sparked a wildfire that initially closed the interstate and U.S. 6 in both directions east of Eagle on Thursday.
The head-on crash between an SUV and a dump truck on U.S. 6 caused the truck to catch fire, igniting dry grass in the area before the truck ended up near the Eagle River, according to the State Patrol and fire officials.
The SUV driver was transported to a hospital with unknown injuries, and information about the truck driver’s injuries was not available, Master Trooper Gary Cutler said. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Eastbound I-70 remains closed between Eagle and Edwards, and U.S. 6 remains closed between Wolcott and Eagle because of fire activity and damaged power poles. Road crews are working to reopen the interstate and highway and avoid overnight closures, Colorado Department of Transportation officials said in a statement.
The Eagle River fire has grown to 15 acres and is burning between I-70 and the Eagle River near Horn Ranch Open Space, according to the Upper Colorado River Interagency Fire Management Unit and Eagle River Fire Protection District.
The fire caused heavy smoke on the interstate and spread quickly because of wind and weather, according to fire officials.
The crash was reported at 1:12 p.m. and closed the highway and I-70 in both directions until 4:50 p.m. Damaged power lines led to power cuts to parts of Wolcott, Eagle, Edwards and Lake Creek, Cutler said.
CDOT had technical difficulties posting new information about the road closures throughout the day because of a planned system update to its road impacts website, COtrip.org, that began at the same time the closures started, said spokesperson Elise Thatcher.
“We were able to move through it as quickly as possible, but it was still a technological hurdle,” Thatcher said. “It’s not common, and this was an unusual overlap in circumstances.”
Thatcher said COtrip.org and its app are still the best way to get up-to-date information about road conditions and closures.
A detour is in place for drivers to avoid the area. Eastbound motorists should exit I-70 at the Rifle exit and head north onto Colorado 13 through Craig, over to Steamboat Springs on U.S. 40, then south on Colorado 131 and back to Interstate 70 in Wolcott. Westbound motorists should reverse the trip. The detour adds two and a half hours of travel time.
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