Turner Gulch 2025

The Turner Gulch Fire was discovered on July 10, 2025, during a Red Flag event following a period of widespread dry lightning. Burning on both sides of Unaweep Canyon, these fires are challenging to access and threaten critical values near Gateway, Colorado, in Mesa County. Values at risk include human life, primary residences, and key infrastructure such as the powerline along Highway 141.

Initial attack operations were led by the Upper Colorado River Fire Management Unit (Type 3 Incident Management Team) on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands.  The Turner Gulch Fire expanded onto U.S. Forest Service land and private property. In response, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Department issued evacuation and pre-evacuation notices for areas along the Highway 141 corridor and the Uncompahgre Plateau.

On the evening of August 16, 2025, the Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 3 (NRIMT3) assumed command of the Turner Gulch Fire, following previous incident management teams. NRIMT3 has prioritized a full suppression strategy, with firefighter and public safety remaining the highest priority, and has made substantial progress on the incident. With the arrival of monsoonal moisture and greatly increased containment, management of the Turner Gulch Fire was turned over to a local Type 3 incident management team on August 27, 2025. On the morning of Wednesday September 3, 2025, the command of the Turner Gulch Fire transitioned from a Type 3 Organization to a local Type 4 organization. 

Evacuations: All evacuation orders have been lifted.   

Closures & Fire Restrictions: The Bureau of Land Management and the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests announced emergency closures in and south of Unaweep Canyon. Additional details and a closure map are available at https://www.blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/fire-and-aviation/regional-information/colorado/upper-colorado-river-district or https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/gmug/alerts.  

Fire restrictions are in place for all surrounding public lands and in Mesa County. More information can be found at https://westslopefireinfo.com/.  

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.