What is the name and location of the wildfire?
As of August 26, 2025, the Turner Gulch Fire continues to burn in Mesa County, western Colorado.
It is located near the town of Gateway, approximately 50 miles south of Grand Junction, and has expanded across steep, rugged terrain (1).
The wildfire was ignited by lightning on July 10 and has threatened areas along Colorado Highway 141 and near Big Creek Reservoir (2). For a more detailed look, see Grand Junction's air quality map.
Which cities or areas are affected by the wildfire?
- Big Creek Reservoir
- Cold Springs
- Cedaredge
- Divide Forks Campground
- Gateway
- Grand Junction
- Highway 141
- Parachute
- Ute Creek
What is the current containment status of the wildfire?
As of August 26, 2025, the Turner Gulch Fire has burned approximately 31,701 acres and is 96% contained (3).
Firefighters have made significant progress through aerial and ground-based suppression efforts, including strategic firing operations and chipping along containment lines. Despite challenging terrain, favorable weather conditions have supported continued containment work in multiple sectors of the fire zone (4).
Are there any evacuation orders or alerts in place?
Mandatory evacuation orders are still active for the Big Creek and Divide Forks Campground Evacuation Zones.
Meanwhile, the Ute Creek and Cold Springs Zones remain in pre-evacuation status. While private lands along Highway 141 have been cleared from earlier pre-evacuation orders, Mesa County has declared a local disaster emergency to expedite response operations and unlock additional resources.
Fire restrictions remain in place across the county due to extreme fire danger (5).
Protect yourself from wildfire smoke
See how a wildfire smoke air purifier can help clean your air.
How can I protect myself from wildfire smoke?
Always plan ahead to protect yourself from wildfire smoke.
- Get a free air quality app for real-time air quality alerts and forecasts.
- Shut doors and windows and set the HVAC to recirculate mode.
- Run a high-performance air purifier to filter wildfire smoke.
- Contribute to your community’s outdoor air quality data.
- Stay indoors; if you do need to go outdoors, wear a KN95/FFP2 mask.
As of August 26, 2025, this fire is 96% contained.
