1,000-acre fire burning along I-76 near near Wiggins amid red flag warnings

DENVER (KDVR) — A grass fire closed Interstate 76 at milepost 60 on Thursday, according to the Wiggins Fire Department.

The grass fire had grown to around 1,000 acres as of about 3:30 p.m., according to the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control. It was about 25% contained an hour earlier, according to Wiggins Fire, and was being driven by fuel.

The fire was heading north and was just west of the town of Wiggins, which is near the border of Weld and Morgan counties. The agency said the town was not in danger as of mid-afternoon.

I-76 had reopened around 4:15 p.m.

Several additional agencies were assisting with the fire response.

A red flag warning is in effect for the area until 8 p.m., according to the National Weather Service Boulder. These warnings inform residents that conditions are favorable for rapid fire spread because of windy conditions and low relative humidity.

FOX31’s Pinpoint Weather team issued a Pinpoint Weather Alert Day for Thursday due to the high fire danger.

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