2023 Colorado wildfires

2023 Colorado wildfires
2023 Colorado wildfires
	The Spring Creek Fire on July 6
Statistics
Total fires	6,503
Total area	16,190 acres (6,550 ha)
Impacts
Damage	Unknown
Season
	← 2022 2024 →

The 2023 Colorado wildfire season was a series of wildfires that have been burning throughout the U.S. state of Colorado.

Background

While "fire season" varies every year based on different weather conditions, most wildfires occur between May and September with a fire risk year-round with an increasing danger during winter. Drought and decreasing snowpack levels and lowering snowmelt and runoff increase fire risk. These conditions, along with increased temperatures and decreased humidity, are becoming more common from climate change. Vegetation growth provides an ample fuel for fires. From 2011 to 2020, Colorado experiences an average of 5,618 wildfires each year that collectively burn about 237,500 acres (96,100 ha).^[2]

List of wildfires

The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 ha), or produced significant structural damage or casualties.

Name	County	Acres	Start date	Containment date^[a]	Notes	Ref
403	Gunnison	1,096	March 31	April 13	The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) did not document information about this wildfire.	^[4]^[5]
Gageby Creek	Bent	4,600	April 19	April 28	The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) did not document information about this wildfire.	^[6]^[7]^[8]
Spring Creek	Garfield	3,256	July 24	October 1		^[9]
Lowline	Gunnison	1,999	July 26	December 13	Lightning-caused.	^[10]^[11]
Bear Creek	Hinsdale	1,093	July 28	2023	Caused by lightning about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Pagosa Springs.	^[12]^[13]
Little Mesa	Delta	4,009	July 31	September 20		^[14]
Quartz Ridge	Archuleta	2,850	August 5	October 30		^[15]
Dry Lake	Archuleta	1,372	August 30	September 12		^[16]
Hope	Montezuma	1,290	September 21	October 7	Lightning-caused. Burned 9 miles (14 km) northwest of Dolores.	^[17]
Iron	Moffat	7,392	September 29	October 5	Undetermined cause. Burned 18 miles (29 km) northwest of Craig.	^[18]^[19]
Trail Springs	Archuleta	1,358	October 23	2023	Lighting-caused. Burned 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Pagosa Springs. Was 44% contained on November 24.	^[20]

Notes

^ Containment means that fire crews have established and secured control lines around the fire's perimeter. These lines are artificial barriers, like trenches or cleared vegetation, designed to stop the fire's spread, or natural barriers like rivers. Containment reflects progress in managing the fire but does not necessarily mean the fire is starved of fuel, under control, or put out.^[3]

References

^ "2023 RMACC Annual Report" (PDF). gaac.nifc.gov. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
^ "Colorado Fire Season: In-Depth Guide". wfca.com. Western Fire Chiefs Association. June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
^ "What containment and other wildfire related terms mean". Los Angeles: KCAL-TV. September 12, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
^ "Colorado wildfire burning on 1,205 acres near Florissant; 100 homes evacuated". The Denver Post. March 31, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
^ National Centers for Environmental Information (June–July 2023). "Gunnison County Wildfire Events Between 03/31/2023 and 04/13/2023". Storm Event Database. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
^ "Helicopter crew assessing Gageby Creek fire burning on 1,680 acres in southeastern Colorado". The Denver Post. April 19, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
^ National Centers for Environmental Information (July 2023). "Bent County, Colorado Wildfire Events Between 04/19/2023 and 04/30/2023". Storm Event Database. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
^ "Governor Polis Takes Action in Response to Gageby Creek Fire in Bent County". cdn.colorado.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
^ "Spring Creek Fire". InciWeb: Incident Information System. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
^ "Lowline Fire". InciWeb: Incident Information System. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
^ "Lowline Fire 100% Contained". fs.usda.gov. United States Forest Service. December 13, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
^ "Bear Creek Fire". InciWeb: Incident Information System. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
^ "Cosjf Bear Creek Fire Information". InciWeb. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
^ "Little Mesa Fire". InciWeb: Incident Information System. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
^ "Quartz Ridge Fire". InciWeb: Incident Information System. Retrieved September 26, 2023.^{[dead link]}
^ "Dry Lake Fire". InciWeb: Incident Information System. Retrieved September 26, 2023.^{[dead link]}
^ "Hope - Wildfire and Smoke Map". data.coloradoan.com. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
^ "Iron Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
^ Grewe, Lindsey (October 3, 2023). "'Iron Fire' burning in northwest Colorado now 50 percent contained". KKTV. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
^ "Trail Springs - Wildfire and Smoke Map". data.coloradoan.com. Retrieved August 26, 2025.

[4] Containment means that fire crews have established and secured control lines around the fire's perimeter. These lines are artificial barriers, like trenches or cleared vegetation, designed to stop the fire's spread, or natural barriers like rivers. Containment reflects progress in managing the fire but does not necessarily mean the fire is starved of fuel, under control, or put out.^[3]

[2023_RMACC_Annual_Report-1] "2023 RMACC Annual Report" (PDF). gaac.nifc.gov. Retrieved May 19, 2025.

[2] "Colorado Fire Season: In-Depth Guide". wfca.com. Western Fire Chiefs Association. June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2025.

[3] "What containment and other wildfire related terms mean". Los Angeles: KCAL-TV. September 12, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2025.

[5] "Colorado wildfire burning on 1,205 acres near Florissant; 100 homes evacuated". The Denver Post. March 31, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.

[6] National Centers for Environmental Information (June–July 2023). "Gunnison County Wildfire Events Between 03/31/2023 and 04/13/2023". Storm Event Database. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.

[7] "Helicopter crew assessing Gageby Creek fire burning on 1,680 acres in southeastern Colorado". The Denver Post. April 19, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.

[8] National Centers for Environmental Information (July 2023). "Bent County, Colorado Wildfire Events Between 04/19/2023 and 04/30/2023". Storm Event Database. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.

[9] "Governor Polis Takes Action in Response to Gageby Creek Fire in Bent County". cdn.colorado.gov. Retrieved May 18, 2025.

[10] "Spring Creek Fire". InciWeb: Incident Information System. Retrieved July 30, 2023.

[11] "Lowline Fire". InciWeb: Incident Information System. Retrieved May 13, 2024.

[12] "Lowline Fire 100% Contained". fs.usda.gov. United States Forest Service. December 13, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2025.

[13] "Bear Creek Fire". InciWeb: Incident Information System. Retrieved May 13, 2024.

[14] "Cosjf Bear Creek Fire Information". InciWeb. Retrieved May 18, 2025.

[15] "Little Mesa Fire". InciWeb: Incident Information System. Retrieved September 26, 2023.

[16] "Quartz Ridge Fire". InciWeb: Incident Information System. Retrieved September 26, 2023.^{[dead link]}

[17] "Dry Lake Fire". InciWeb: Incident Information System. Retrieved September 26, 2023.^{[dead link]}

[18] "Hope - Wildfire and Smoke Map". data.coloradoan.com. Retrieved August 26, 2025.

[19] "Iron Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved August 26, 2025.

[20] Grewe, Lindsey (October 3, 2023). "'Iron Fire' burning in northwest Colorado now 50 percent contained". KKTV. Retrieved August 26, 2025.

[21] "Trail Springs - Wildfire and Smoke Map". data.coloradoan.com. Retrieved August 26, 2025.

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v t e Wildfires in 2023
Africa	North
Asia	Kazakhstan
Europe	United Kingdom Cannich Greece Spain Tenerife
North America	Canada Donnie Creek Bush Creek East McDougall Creek United States Arizona California Colorado Florida Hawaiʻi Louisiana New Mexico Oregon Utah Washington
South America	Chile
Oceania	Australia 2022–23 2023–24 Darling Downs fires Wanneroo bushfire
◀ 2022 2024 ▶

v t e Colorado wildfires
Pre-2010	Ouzel (1978) South Canyon (1994) Hayman (2002)
2010	Fourmile Canyon
2012	Waldo Canyon High Park
2013	Black Forest East Peak
2014–2017	Hayden Pass (2016)
2018	416 Spring Creek Sugarloaf
2020	East Canyon Pine Gulch Grizzly Creek Cameron Peak Mullen East Troublesome
2021	Oil Springs Muddy Slide Sylvan Morgan Creek Marshall
2022	Marshall
2024	Spruce Creek Alexander Mountain Bucktail
2025	South Rim Lee Elk RBX
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2023 Colorado wildfires
The Spring Creek Fire on July 6
Statistics^[1]
Total fires	6,503
Total area	16,190 acres (6,550 ha)
Impacts
Damage	Unknown
Season
← 2022 2024 →