The Derby Fire saw even more “significant fire growth overnight,” tripling in size and prompting early Wednesday morning evacuations north of Dotsero and Interstate 70 in Eagle County.
According to the fire evacuation map, residents of Sweetwater Road and areas of the Colorado River Road from Sweetwater to Red Dirt Creek must be out of their homes by 12 p.m. Wednesday. The fire is now at 839 acres as of Wednesday morning, according to InciWeb. The evacuation area on the map includes parts of Eagle and Garfield counties.
An update on Tuesday evening put the fire at 245 acres, which itself was already more than triple the previous update Tuesday morning of just 50 acres. Wednesday morning’s update of 839 acres was also more than triple the Tuesday evening 245-acre update.
Officials said the fire was caused by lightning after igniting Sunday on a “steep cliff above the West Fork of Red Dirt Creek.” Derby Mesa Loop remains in pre-evacuation at this time. An evacuation center will be staffed for information and resources by 7:30 a.m. at the Two Rivers Community Center, 80 Lake Shore Drive, in Dotsero, officials said.
