Summer wildfires are tearing across Colorado, particularly along the Western Slope, where drought and low rainfall are making containment difficult. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, three large fires are currently blazing in Colorado. The South Rim fire at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Montrose County, the Turner Gulch fire, near Gateway in Mesa County, and the Elkhorn fire in La Plata county near Durango. “We’ve got some of the biggest fires that we’ve had in a few years, but it’s nowhere near what we saw in 2020 or 2018, at least up to this point,” says Russ Schumacher, director of the Colorado Climate Center and Colorado State Climatologist. Thunderstorms without much rainfall can start fires, which is what happened with the South Rim and Turner Gulch fires, he adds. ✍️ Read the full story by Catie Cheshire at westword.com or at the link in our bio. #coloradoweather #coloradofires #denver #denvercolorado #denvernews #westword