JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Jefferson County officials said they do not anticipate any pre-evacuations or evacuations for the Goltra Fire, which began burning Tuesday afternoon on a hillside in Clear Creek Canyon about a mile from the outskirts of Golden.
In a 4 p.m. update, Jacki Kelley, public information officer with Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO), said the fire is 204 acres. In a subsequent update at 8:32 p.m., JCSO said the fire was 60% contained.
"We have had a good day, a very good day, according to our incident commander," Kelley said.
She noted that while aircraft helped drop water on the fire Wednesday, firefighters likely will not need the aerial support on Thursday. However, those crews will stay available in case that changes.
The Goltra Fire was spotted on Tuesday afternoon and within the hour, the JCSO said staff believed a lightning strike ignited the fire, as a storm had rolled over the area shortly beforehand. This was later confirmed on Wednesday morning. By 7 p.m. Tuesday, the fire had grown to 10 acres and JCSO said no structures were in danger.
Aircraft were not brought in Tuesday because the Goltra Fire was not threatening any infrastructure and it broke out later in the day, when there was only a small window of daylight left, Kelley said.
"We are always looking at: What are the values at risk? What are the things that we need to bring in those extra resources for? It's watershed and water supply and homes. It's things like that infrastructure," she said. "And none of those things applied last night and they still don't. We have to be a good steward of taxpayers dollars and order what we need and not get ahead of ourselves. That was the decision made last night and we stand behind that decision."
Fire crews continued to monitor the fire overnight into Wednesday, but encountered unexpected "erratic fire behavior" from winds in Clear Creek Canyon. Officials decided to close Highway 6 in both directions as a precaution as the fire continued to grow significantly overnight, JCSO said.
The fire was mapped at 198 acres earlier on Wednesday.
In a Wednesday morning update, JCSO said the wind was still "a significant factor" against firefighters' efforts, on top of the already challenging terrain. The JCSO again stressed that there was no danger to structures.
During the press conference in the afternoon, Kelley said the firefighters had accomplished some incredible work, with "lots and lots of water" dropped on the fire and crews on the ground making good progress, despite the steep and rocky terrain. In addition, the wind had calmed, she said. Some shrubs and grasses were still burning along the west side of the fire down to the road. As a result, she said Highway 6 in the canyon will not open to the public Wednesday, but may Thursday.
Watch the Wednesday afternoon press conference with JCSO below.
Kelley acknowledged that the fire is close to homes — the origin point is about a mile from a couple streets in the Golden area.
"It causes a lot of people concern," she said. "It makes everyone nervous... Golden is very concerned about this fire, but there are no values at risk."
3D Maps of the #GoltraFire Perimeter
— Jeffco Colorado (@JeffcoColorado) August 21, 2024
Please note that yellow dotted lines represent US HWY 6. Thank you to the @jeffcosheriffco and all of the fire fighters who are working hard to contain the fire! #Jeffco pic.twitter.com/FKF5ntFpD6
Sixty firefighters from several agencies around the Denver metro area responded to help on Wednesday, including West Metro Fire Rescue, Jefferson County Open Space, Foothills Fire Department, Golden Gate Fire Department, Fairmount Fire Protection District, Arvada Fire, Genesee Fire Rescue, and Golden Fire Department, as well as Douglas County's wildland firefighters and a helicopter from the county.
Wildfires are now a year-round threat in Colorado. Denver7 is committed to covering their impact and the people working to find solutions to the threat.
