GOLDEN - Authorities say a small wildfire burning between Golden Gate and Clear Creek Canyons has grown to more than 550 acres, though there are still no evacuations in the area.
INDIAN GULCH FIRE SLIDESHOW
Jacki Kelly with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department says the fire is burning on Mt. Galbraith and was originally reported as a 5-acre wildfire around noon Sunday. Several fire departments have responded, including a team from Idaho that assisted with the Lefthand Canyon Fire.
About 35 firefighters have been fighting the fire through the evening hours. A helicopter from Douglas County has made 60 water drops of 275 gallons each.
No evacuations have been ordered and Kelly says if there are evacuations ordered, residents will receive an emergency call. The closest residences to the fire are in the Mountain Ridge Subdivision.
Kelly says the fire has been a challenge for firefighters to reach.
"The difficulty with this fire is that there is no road access, there is no way to drive into this fire and just put water on it," Kelly said.
People flocked to the area all afternoon to watch the efforts to fight the fire.
"We were actually having breakfast in Golden and saw the smoke and drove up to see how close we could get," Kemp Nussbaum, a Golden resident, said.
Kelly says the Golden Police Department sent out emergency phone calls to residents in the area, telling them to prepare for evacuations. There are no evacuations ordered at this time.
Kelly says there are fire engines in the closest subdivision, waiting to protect the nearby houses if necessary.
Smoke from the fire is visible across the Denver metro area.
Highway 6 is closed on the east at Highway 58 and west at Highway 119.
Kelly says West Metro Fire, Wheat Ridge Fire, Golden Fire, Golden Gate Fire and Fairmount Fire Departments are on the scene.
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