Author: webedit

NWS: Red Flag Warning for Garfield County

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National Weather Service

June 5, 2026, 10:47 a.m. – The National Weather Service in Grand Junction has issued a Red Flag Warning below 8,000 feet for gusty winds, low relative humidity and dry fuels, which is in effect from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. MDT Sunday. A Fire Weather Watch has also been issued. This Fire Weather Watch for gusty winds, low relative humidity and dry fuels is in effect from Monday morning through Tuesday evening.

  • AFFECTED AREA: In Colorado, Fire Weather Zone 205 Colorado River Headwaters below 8,000 feet.
  • TIMING: For the Red Flag Warning, from 10 a.m to 10 p.m. MDT, Sunday. For the Fire Weather Watch, from Monday morning through Tuesday evening.
  • WINDS: Southwest 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 55 mph.
  • RELATIVE HUMIDITY: 11 to 16 percent.
  • IMPACTS: Elevated fire danger is expected. Fires will catch and spread rapidly and erratically.

Precautionary/preparedness actions

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.

A Fire Weather Watch means that critical fire weather conditions are forecast to occur. Listen for later forecasts and possible Red Flag Warnings.

NWS: Red Flag Warning for Garfield County

CSP: Train derailment following crash on Highway 6

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Colorado State Patrol

May 6, 2026, 12:12 p.m. – This morning, around 9:40 a.m., the Colorado State Patrol responded to the area of Highway 6 near Mile Pond Road (milepost 95) for a report of a passenger train that struck a semi-tanker truck on the train tracks.

The semi-tanker was split open due to the crash, spilling an estimated 6,000 gallons of road oil onto the ground. The driver of the semi-tanker was taken to an area hospital for minor injuries. Six passenger cars and two locomotives were derailed as a result of the crash, with the rail being damaged/split in areas. The rail line will be closed for an extended period of time for repairs. It is unknown at this time how many passengers were on the train; however, it is reported that no passengers suffered any injuries. Local buses will be transporting passengers to a safe location.

Highway 6 will be closed for an extended period of time. For road closure information, please visit COTrip.org for more information.

The Colorado State Patrol is the lead investigating agency for this incident. Any new information will be released in an update to this press release.

A Colorado State Patrol photograph of the tanker and train collision near Rifle on May 6, 2026.

A Colorado State Patrol photograph of the tanker and train collision near Rifle on May 6, 2026.

A Colorado State Patrol photograph of the tanker and train collision near Rifle on May 6, 2026.

A Colorado State Patrol photograph of the tanker and train collision near Rifle on May 6, 2026.

A Colorado State Patrol photograph of the tanker and train collision near Rifle on May 6, 2026.
CSP: Train derailment following crash on Highway 6

CRFR/GCSO: train vs. truck collision east of Rifle

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Colorado River Fire Rescue | Garfield County Sheriff’s Office

May 6, 2026, 4:14 p.m. – At approximately 9:39 a.m. this morning, Colorado River Fire Rescue (CRFR) was dispatched to a reported collision involving a passenger train and a tanker truck between Silt and Rifle, Colorado.

CRFR responded with two engines, two ambulances, and a Battalion Chief. Upon arrival, crews found a passenger train involved in a collision with a tanker truck carrying hot asphalt tar. The collision resulted in the derailment of the train.

The driver of the tanker truck sustained minor to moderate injuries and was transported by ambulance for medical evaluation. No additional patients required transport.

CRFR personnel assisted approximately 310 passengers and train staff members from the train to waiting buses for transportation to their final destination.

Multiple agencies assisted with the incident response, including the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado State Patrol, Colorado Department of Transportation, New Castle Police Department, and Union Pacific personnel.

The incident remains under investigation by the appropriate authorities.

Leif Sackett
Fire Chief
Colorado River Fire Rescue

Local fire officials next to the train that collided with a tanker truck near Rifle on May 6.

Photo of the tanker truck that collided with a train near Rifle on May 6.

Photo of the train that collided with a tanker truck near Rifle on May 6.

Photo of the tanker truck that collided with a train near Rifle on May 6.

Photo of the train that collided with a tanker truck near Rifle on May 6.

May 6, 2026, 10:19 a.m. – At 9:38 a.m., emergency crews were paged to a train vs. tanker truck collision at a railroad crossing just east of Rifle on Highway 6&24.

Highway 6&24 is currently closed. Injuries are unknown at this time.

Please avoid the area and allow first responders to work safely. More details will be released as they become available.

Follow Colorado River Fire Rescue (CRFR Facebook) and Garfield County Sheriff’s Office Facebook for more information.

May 6, 2026, 10:04 a.m. – Highway 6 in Rifle is closed near Mile Pond Road (near Casey Concrete) due to a crash involving a train and a tanker truck.

Emergency crews are on scene and working the incident. At this time only minor injuries have been reported.

Please use an alternate route while responders safely manage the scene.

Colorado Department of Transportation

May 6, 2026, 10:33 p.m. – U.S. 6 is closed in both directions between Mile Pond Road and Peterson Lane (near Rifle) at Mile Point 94.5. Road closed expect delays due to a crash involving a train. See map for detour(s).

Comment: Please plan alternate routes, extended closure likely.

A train vs. tanker truck collision at a railroad crossing just east of Rifle.

A train vs. tanker truck collision at a railroad crossing just east of Rifle.

A train vs. tanker truck collision at a railroad crossing just east of Rifle.

A train vs. tanker truck collision at a railroad crossing just east of Rifle.

CRFR/GCSO: train vs. truck collision east of Rifle

NWS: Wind advisory on April 22

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National Weather Service

Lower Yampa River Basin; Central Yampa River Basin-Grand Valley; Debeque to Silt Corridor; Central Colorado River Basin; Central Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basin; Paradox Valley/Lower Dolores River; Four Corners/Upper Dolores River; Animas River Basin; Southeast Utah; Eastern Uinta Basin Arches/Grand Flat; Canyonlands/Natural Bridges.

Including the cities of Rangely, Dinosaur, Dinosaur National Monument, Craig, Hayden, Meeker, Grand Junction, Fruita, Palisade, Colorado National Monument, Whitewater, Collbran, De Beque, New Castle, Mesa, Parachute, Rifle, Silt, Edwards, Eagle, Gypsum, Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, Basalt, Montrose, Olathe, Delta, Hotchkiss, Paonia, Gateway, Nucla, Norwood, Cortez, Dove Creek, Mancos, Towaoc, Mesa Verde National Park, Durango, Bayfield, Ignacio, Blanding, Bluff, Mexican Hat, Vernal, Jensen, Ballard, Fort
Duchesne, Randlett, Moab, Arches National Park, Castle Valley, Thompson Springs, Dead Horse Point State Park, Canyonlands National Park, Natural Bridges, and Fry Canyon.

April 21, 2026, 11:38 a.m. MDT: WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. MDT Wednesday.

  • WHAT: Southwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 55 mph expected.
  • WHERE: Portions of northwest, southwest, and west central Colorado and east central, northeast, and southeast Utah.
  • WHEN: From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. MDT on Wednesday.
  • IMPACTS: Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS

Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

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Holy Cross Energy

April 21, 2026, 3:46 p.m.: We are aware that some members may have received communications from other electric service providers about a potential Public Safety Power Shutoff event planned for tomorrow, Wednesday, April 22, due to forecast high winds and dry conditions.

Holy Cross Energy (HCE) does not see the need for such an event and will instead be using our fire settings to minimize fire risk from our system. We place our system on fire settings already on red flag warning days. On these settings, members may see “blinks” in their power for short periods of time.

Please visit https://www.holycross.com/community/safety/be-wildfire-ready for more information on HCE’s Wildfire Mitigation Plan and steps you can take to live wildfire ready this summer.

______________________________________________________________

Xcel Energy

April 21, 2026, 2:50 p.m.: Garfield County is no longer expected to be affected by the April 22, public safety power shutoff (PSPS). Weather-related outages are still possible.

Wildfire preparedness

NWS: Wind advisory on April 22

Xcel Energy: temporary power outages possible on April 22 due to strong winds

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Xcel Energy

Public Safety Power Shutoff likely as we prepare for high winds, dry conditions in San Luis Valley on Wednesday, April 22

Current situation

San Luis Valley

April 21, 2026, 10:39 a.m. – We continue to prepare for strong winds, low relative humidity and very dry conditions, resulting in high wildfire risk in parts of the San Luis Valley, on Wednesday, April 22.

High winds also heighten risk of damage to our power lines and may result in outages.

To reduce the risk of wildfire and support public safety, we are planning for a likely Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) beginning Wednesday, April 22, around 12 p.m., potentially impacting about 14,000 customers in Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, and Rio Grande counties.

Much of the area is experiencing extreme to exceptional drought due to the record warm and dry winter. The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for the San Luis Valley for this weather event.

Customers can look up their address on our outage map to find out if they may be affected by a PSPS event.

The impacted areas and number of customers affected may continue to change as weather conditions evolve and our teams refine the scope of the PSPS event. As forecasts continue to improve, we expect to be able to reduce the area and number of customers impacted.

Weather conditions are expected to start improving around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22. Crews will begin restoring power as soon as it is safe to do so.

Front Range

We also continue to monitor a high wildfire risk event along the northern Front Range expected on Thursday, April 23.

Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS) will be activated across Colorado. This means power lines are more sensitive and can stop the flow of electricity if an issue, like a tree branch touching the line, is detected. This helps improve public safety during heightened risk conditions.

We are continually investing in and building out our systems to reduce the risk of wildfire and limit the size, scale, and duration of potential power disruptions, including system hardening, upgrading electrical components, enhancing vegetation management and expanding technologies like Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings.?Our goal is to limit the impact of our wildfire mitigation strategies as much as possible while effectively managing high wildfire risk.

Power restoration

We encourage customers to plan for potential power outages in the coming days due to weather, especially those who have medical equipment that relies on electricity.

Due to anticipated high winds, outages could take place outside of areas impacted by a PSPS, affecting restoration times.

Restoring outages from a significant weather event or PSPS may take several hours to several days. This is because crews must inspect power lines and repair damage before they can be safely re-energized.

Rural, remote, mountainous and other difficult to reach areas could experience extended outages.

Thank you for your patience and support as we work to protect the safety of our communities and decrease the risk of wildfire.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Current situation

Xcel Energy is monitoring forecasted strong winds, low relative humidity, and very dry conditions on Wednesday, April 22, and may temporarily shut down power in some Western Slope areas as a precaution against wildfire risk.

April 20, 2026, 1:04 p.m. – We continue to prepare for strong winds, low relative humidity and very dry conditions, resulting in high wildfire risk, in parts of western Colorado and the San Luis Valley on Wednesday, April 22, and along the northern Front Range on Thursday, April 23. High winds heighten risk of damage to our power lines and may result in outages.

To reduce the risk of wildfire and support public safety, we are planning for a possible public safety power shutoff (PSPS) beginning on Wednesday, April 22, around 9 a.m. MT for some customers in Garfield, Mesa and Pitkin counties, and around 11 a.m. MT for some customers in Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Rio Grande and Saguache counties.

  • Much of the area is experiencing extreme to exceptional drought due to the record warm and dry winter. The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for the San Luis Valley for this weather event.
  • Customers can look up their address on our outage map to find out if they may be affected by a PSPS event.

Weather conditions are expected to start improving around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22. Crews will begin restoring power as soon as it is safe to do so.

Due to anticipated high winds, outages could take place outside of areas impacted by a PSPS, affecting restoration times. Restoring outages from a significant weather event or PSPS may take several hours to several days. This is because crews must inspect power lines and repair damage before they can be safely re-energized.

Rural, remote, mountainous and other difficult to reach areas could experience extended outages.

Enhanced powerline safety settings (EPSS) will be activated in across Colorado. This means power lines are more sensitive and can stop the flow of electricity if an issue, like a tree branch touching the line, is detected. This helps improve public safety during heightened risk conditions.

Xcel Energy will continue to reach out to potentially affected customers as the forecasted weather event approaches. Please know the forecast may change and we will provide updates as needed. We plan to share an update the evening of Monday, April 20.

  • We encourage customers to plan for potential power outages in the coming days due to weather, especially those who have medical equipment that relies on electricity.
  • The impacted areas and number of customers affected may continue to change as weather conditions evolve and our teams refine the scope of the PSPS event. As forecasts improve in the coming days, we expect to be able to reduce the area and number of customers impacted.

We are continually investing in and building out our systems to reduce the risk of wildfire and limit the size, scale, and duration of potential power disruptions, including system hardening, upgrading electrical components, enhancing vegetation management and expanding technologies like Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings.?Our goal is to limit the impact of a PSPS event as much as possible while effectively managing high wildfire risk.

Thank you for your patience and support as we work to protect the safety of our communities and decrease the risk of wildfire.

Xcel Energy: temporary power outages possible on April 22 due to strong winds

ECSO: Suspect apprehended in office-involved shooting near Dotsero

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Eagle County Sheriff’s Office

UPDATE 2:20 p.m.: I-70 is now open in both directions. Please continue to use caution in the area and allow crews space to finish their work safely.

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ACTUALIZACIÓN 2:20 p.m.: La I-70 ya está abierta en ambos sentidos. Por favor, sigan conduciendo con precaución en la zona y dejen espacio a los equipos para que puedan terminar su trabajo de forma segura.

UPDATE 2:10 p.m.: The suspect, 30 year-old Kenny Espinoza has been taken into custody. The shelter-in-place has been lifted.

I-70 will remain closed a little longer as the Colorado Bureau of Investigation continues its portion of the investigation. We are optimistic it will be open soon. Law enforcement will remain in the area to safely process the scene and collect evidence. We sincerely appreciate the community’s patience, understanding, and cooperation throughout this situation.

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ACTUALIZACIÓN 2:10 p.m.: El sospechoso, Kenny Espinoza, de 30 años, ha sido detenido. Se ha levantado la orden de permanecer en casa.

La I-70 permanecerá cerrada un poco más, ya que la Oficina de Investigación de Colorado continúa con su parte de la investigación. Somos optimistas y creemos que se abrirá pronto. Las fuerzas policiales permanecerán en la zona para procesar de forma segura el lugar de los hechos y recoger evidencia. Agradecemos sinceramente la paciencia, la comprensión y la cooperación de la comunidad durante toda esta situación.

Westminster Police Department

Westminster Police Department is assisting the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office with their investigation as the vehicle contacted by deputies is related to our ongoing homicide investigation from over the weekend. At this time, the man pictured in their release is a suspect in our case. If you see him, do not approach and call 911.

The purpose of this release is to be transparent and provide timely information to the public. The details shared are based on preliminary information and may be subject to change as additional evidence is collected and reviewed.

ECSO: Suspect apprehended in office-involved shooting near Dotsero

Derby Fire: BLM Colorado reopens more public land in Garfield and Eagle counties

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Bureau of Land Management Colorado, Upper Colorado River District, Grand Junction Field Office

The Bureau of Land Management has reopened more public lands in Garfield and Eagle counties that were previously closed due to the Derby Fire. The updated closure order takes effect immediately.

Some areas inside the burned perimeter remain closed because they’re not safe. There are hazards like burned trees and ongoing work to repair damage from fighting the fire. See below and attached map for details. The closure order and map are also available on the BLM website.

This closure affects: BLM lands north and west of the town of Gypsum, Colorado, that are north of Sweetwater Road; west of the Colorado River; east of the White River National Forest boundary; and south of Derby Creek.

BLM issued the emergency closure Aug. 20 to ensure public and firefighter safety during fire suppression efforts and to reduce exposure to hazardous situations because of fire behavior of the Derby Fire.

This order will remain in effect until fire BLM rescinds the order. The public is to remain clear of the areas still closed. Please use caution and watch for firefighters when traveling in the area. Violations of this emergency order may lead to prosecution, with fines and possible imprisonment.

Thank you for your understanding as we focus on public safety and protecting natural resources.

For questions about the land closure, call the Colorado River Valley Field Office at 970-876-9000. For updates on the Derby Fire, visit the U.S. Forest Service White River National Forest page on Facebook.

A map of the closures near the Derby Fire.
Derby Fire: BLM Colorado reopens more public land in Garfield and Eagle counties

GarCo911: Highway 82 one lane open each way between mile markers 10-11 due to a fire

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Garfield County Emergency Communications Authority

September 1, 2025, 5:22 p.m. – Highway 82 is open between mile-markers 10 and 11, one land in both directions, near Carbondale, due to a fire.

September 1, 2025, 4:23 p.m. – Highway 82 is closed between mile markers 10 and 11, Carbondale, in both directions due to a fire.

GarCo911: Highway 82 one lane open each way between mile markers 10-11 due to a fire