Patches of fire in Glenwood Canyon caused sections of Interstate 70 to become smoky Sunday as the Grizzly Creek fire perked up in the hot, dry weather.

The smoked prompted calls to the Grand Junction Interagency Wildland Fire Dispatch Center but “the fretting was unwarranted,” fire officials said in a news release. Pockets of unburned vegetation ignited, sending columns of smoke into the air. The area have smoldered for days and helicopters dropped water to douse the flare-ups, the news release said.

A red flag warning for the area is in place until 9 p.m. Monday as the temperature climbs into the mid-90s and wind gusts up to 25 miles per hour, the news release said.

The Grizzly Creek fire has burned 32,464 acres since it started on Aug. 10. Fire officials said it was human-caused. The fire has not grown in the past seven days and its at 83% containment, according to a fire information website.

The fire is expected to produce interior smoke and flare ups until a heavy rain or snow happens, which is expected for Tuesday.

Wildfire map

Click markers for details, use buttons to change what wildfires are shown. Map data is automatically updated by government agencies and could lag real-time events. Incident types are numbered 1-5 — a type 1 incident is a large, complex wildfire affecting people and critical infrastructure, a type 5 incident is a small wildfire with few personnel involved. Find more information about incident types at the bottom of this page.

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