UPDATE | Wednesday 5 a.m. — The Pine Gulch Fire is now 5,685 acres, according to fire officials.
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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — The Pine Gulch Fire near Grand Junction reached 3,461 acres Tuesday morning, according to fire officials.
The fire was ignited after a lightning strike Friday around 5:15 p.m., according to the Grand Junction Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). It’s currently burning on BLM and private land about 18 miles north of Grand Junction. Fire officials said it is contained to Mesa County, but is approaching the Garfield County line.
The fire grew from 1,500 acres Monday to 3,461 acres by Tuesday morning.
As of Tuesday morning, the fire remained about 5% contained.
Several structures were threatened by the fire after it actively burned overnight Sunday into Monday, according to the BLM. Fire officials did not say what type of structures they were.
A Type 2 incident command team was requested and will take over fire management Tuesday morning. Additional firefighting resources from Mesa County, De Beque Fire Protection District, Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, BLM and the U.S. Forest Service are on their way to the Pine Gulch Fire.
Currently, four engines, two fire modules, two Type 2 hand crews and the Wyoming Hotshot crew, and air support are assigned to the fire.
Road barricades have been put up around the affected areas.