Wildfire in median shuts down highway

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MESA COUNTY - A wildfire on the Western Slope resurfaced on Monday and forced Interstate 70 to shut down again because flames spread to the median.

The Mesa County Sheriff's Office says I-70 was first closed on Sunday night while crews attacked a wildfire between the towns of Loma and Fruita. Authorities believe it was started by lightning.

Just before noon on Monday, the sheriff's office says the fire flared up again and jumped from the north side of I-70 to the median, about a half mile east of the Loma exit.

I-70 was shut down in both directions because of the fire. The eastbound lanes reopened earlier in the afternoon, but the westbound lanes did not open until around 4 p.m.

The Mesa County Sheriff's Office Wildland Fire Team, the Juniper Valley Fire Team and helicopter and slurry planes helped fight the fire on Monday.