Colorado expands evacuations as Ferris Fire grows to 64,369 acres

Colorado officials widened mandatory evacuations Sunday as the Ferris Fire grew to 64,369 acres and held at 23% containment. At 12:20 p.m., the San Miguel County Sheriff's Office ordered all residents in Zone 16 to leave immediately, directing evacuees to the Dolores Senior Center in Dove Creek for re-entry credentials and essential information. Livestock was sent to the evacuation shelter at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds in Cortez.

The order followed shifting fire behavior on the fire’s northwestern edge near Mountain Sheep Point. More active fire behavior developed there Saturday, and lower winds slowed growth overnight, but changing conditions on Sunday pushed officials to expand evacuations north of the fire. Zone 16 includes properties near the Dolores and San Miguel county line, one mile east of the Dolores River Canyon rim.

The Ferris Fire started on June 27 as three separate fires, the Ferris Fire, Far Draw Fire and Dow Canyon Fire, with lightning suspected as the cause. More than 1,000 personnel were assigned to the blaze, which burned in Dolores County north of Cortez and into nearby portions of San Miguel County. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis verbally declared a disaster emergency, activating state agencies to support response, recovery and mitigation.

Earlier in the week, 115 homes had already been evacuated in Dolores and Montezuma counties, while other areas were still under pre-evacuation notice. Mandatory orders had also covered Zones 14A and 14B. The fire moved through mixed conifer forest, multiple fuel types and steep topography.