A small wildfire on Red Mountain Pass prompted the closure of U.S. Highway 550 from Sunday evening through most of the day Monday, south of Ouray.
The Snow Shed Fire was reported Sunday afternoon near mile marker 88, near the snowshed on Red Mountain Pass, about 6.3 miles south of Ouray.
The highway closed at 4:45 p.m. Sunday and didn’t fully reopen until about 4:45 p.m. Monday, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The Ouray Fire Department responded about 1:20 p.m. Sunday, according to a news release from the San Juan County Office of Emergency Management.
The fire had burned only 0.3 acres as of Monday afternoon, according to www.fireweatheravalanche.org. The road was closed out of concern that flaming trees could fall onto the highway and pose a danger to motorists, said CDOT spokeswoman Lisa Schwantes.
Efforts to reach the Ouray Fire Department for further comment were unsuccessful Monday.
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
