Rain is keeping fire activity to a minimum at the Morgan Creek Fire, which has been burning for about a month 15 miles north of Steamboat Springs.
The 7,500-acre fire was first reported on July 9 around 1 p.m. It was sparked by lightning, according to the Type 3 Incident Management Organization.
The fire is currently 18% contained.
Crews have been mopping up and patrolling the western and southern flanks of the fire as it moves toward the area where the Middle Fork and Burn Ridge fires burned in 2020. On the northern side, crews are focused on improving the indirect fire line construction to protect infrastructure, fire officials said.
The Seedhouse recreation corridor and a portion of the Mount Zirkel Wilderness remains closed. Forest Service Road 400 — also called Seedhouse Road — and other Forest Service roads and trails around the fire are also closed. County Road 64 between County Road 129 and Forest Service Road 400 is limited to emergency crews and local traffic.
According to the National Weather Service out of Boulder, showers are possible before 1 p.m. around the Morgan Creek Fire, but there is a better chance of storms in the afternoon with gusty winds and heavy rain. This will continue until about 9 p.m. Tuesday, with a lesser chance of storms Wednesday. The forecast is predicting dry and warm conditions through the weekend.
Flash flood watch for much of the high country today. Burn scars will be under the gun once again so please ensure you have a way to receive warnings if you are in or near one of these burn areas today. #COWX pic.twitter.com/pJrkk9xfR1
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) August 3, 2021
Routt County is in Stage 2 fire restrictions. The Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland are in Stage 1 fire restrictions.
