The Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1 (CIMT1) assumed management of the Turner Gulch and Wright Draw Fires on Tuesday morning, July 15, 2025. The Upper Colorado River Fire Management Unit Type 3 Incident Management Team previously managed the fire under extreme fire conditions.
Current Situation: The Turner Gulch and Wright Draw fires were both discovered on July 10th, 2025, during a red flag event that was preceded by extensive dry lightning. Burning on both sides of Unaweep Canyon, these fires are difficult to access and threatening values within the canyon and along Highway 141 near Gateway, Colorado.
Extreme drought conditions, steep terrain, and hot and dry weather will continue to challenge firefighters on the Turner Gulch and Wright Draw Fires
Evacuations:
Evacuations are in place along Highway 141. Additional evacuations and pre-evacuations may occur as fire activity increases. For current evacuation information, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/Mesacountysheriffsoffice.
To sign up for Emergency Alerts, please visit the Grand Junction Regional Communication Center Emergency and Community Notification System website at https://bit.ly/Emergency_Alerts.
Closures and Fire Restrictions:
Highway 141 may be closed due to fire activity at any time. Rolling closures have been in place. Please avoid this area unless you have a legitimate need to be there. Increased traffic from members of the public wanting to look at the fire will impede fire operations and potentially put firefighters at risk or prevent them from moving quickly in response to increased fire activity.
For information on area, road, trail, and recreation site closures visit: https://www.facebook.com/BLMColorado
or https://www.blm.gov/office/grand-junction-field-office.
Fire restrictions may be found at this link: https://www.mesacounty.us/departments-and-services/sheriff/divisions/emergency-services/fire-restrictions.
Wildfires are a no-fly zone for unauthorized aircraft, including drones. If you fly, we can’t. For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.
Operational Briefing videos can be watched on the Turner Gulch and Wright Draw YouTube page.
The Community meeting held in Gateway on Wednesday, July 16 can be viewed at this link.
An interactive evacuation web map is available for checking the fire location and evacuation status. You can find it here.
