{{Short description|Natural disasters in the USA}} {{Use American English|date=May 2025}} {{use mdy dates|date=April 2023}} {{Infobox wildfire | title = 2023 Colorado wildfires | image = Spring Creek Fire July 6.jpg | caption = The Spring Creek Fire on July 6 | cost = Unknown | references = <ref name="2023 RMACC Annual Report">{{cite web |title=2023 RMACC Annual Report |url=https://gacc.nifc.gov/rmcc/documents/predictive/annual_reports/annual_report_2023.pdf |website=gaac.nifc.gov |access-date=May 19, 2025}}</ref> | total_fires = 6,503 | total_area = {{convert|16,190|acre}} | buildings = | injuries = | fatalities = | is_season = yes | year = 2023 | season_name = Colorado wildfires }} The '''2023 Colorado wildfire season''' was a series of wildfires that have been burning throughout the [[U.S. state]] of [[Colorado]].
== Background == {{main|List of Colorado wildfires}} While "fire season" varies every year based on different weather conditions, most wildfires occur between May and September with a fire risk year-round with an increasing danger during winter. [[Drought]] and decreasing [[snowpack]] levels and lowering [[snowmelt]] and [[runoff (hydrology)|runoff]] increase fire risk. These conditions, along with increased temperatures and decreased [[humidity]], are becoming more common from [[climate change]]. Vegetation growth provides an ample fuel for fires. From 2011 to [[2020 Colorado wildfires|2020]], Colorado experiences an average of 5,618 wildfires each year that collectively burn about {{convert|237,500|acre}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Colorado Fire Season: In-Depth Guide |url=https://wfca.com/wildfire-articles/colorado-fire-season/ |website=wfca.com |date=June 6, 2023 |publisher=Western Fire Chiefs Association |access-date=June 8, 2025}}</ref>
==List of wildfires== <!-- NOTE: By convention, please only include fires that are over 1,000 acres, unless significant property damage or loss of life occurred. --> The following is a list of fires that burned more than {{Convert|1000|acres}}, or produced significant structural damage or casualties.
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders mw-collapsible" style="text-align:center;" |- !scope="col"|Name !scope="col"|County <!-- of origin--> !scope="col"|Acres !scope="col"|Start date !scope="col"|Containment date{{Efn|Containment means that fire crews have established and secured control lines around the fire's perimeter. These lines are artificial barriers, like trenches or cleared vegetation, designed to stop the fire's spread, or natural barriers like rivers. Containment reflects progress in managing the fire but does not necessarily mean the fire is starved of fuel, under control, or put out.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=[[KCAL-TV]]|location=Los Angeles|title=What containment and other wildfire related terms mean|date=September 12, 2024|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/what-does-containment-mean-wildfire-evacuation-warning-order-red-flag/|access-date=2025-07-25}}</ref>}} !scope="col"|Notes !scope="col" class="unsortable"|Ref |- !scope="row"|403 |[[Gunnison County, Colorado|Gunnison]]||1,096||{{dts|2023|3|31|format=md}}||{{dts|2023|4|13|format=md}}||The [[National Centers for Environmental Information]] (NCEI) did not document information about this wildfire.||<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-31 |title=Colorado wildfire burning on 1,205 acres near Florissant; 100 homes evacuated |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2023/03/31/wildfire-403-florissant-colorado-teller-county |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=The Denver Post |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=National Centers for Environmental Information |title=Gunnison County Wildfire Events Between 03/31/2023 and 04/13/2023 |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=%28Z%29+Wildfire&beginDate_mm=03&beginDate_dd=31&beginDate_yyyy=2023&endDate_mm=04&endDate_dd=13&endDate_yyyy=2023&county=GUNNISON%3A51&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=8%2CCOLORADO |website=Storm Event Database |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=2 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230802162507/https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=%28Z%29+Wildfire&beginDate_mm=03&beginDate_dd=31&beginDate_yyyy=2023&endDate_mm=04&endDate_dd=13&endDate_yyyy=2023&county=GUNNISON%3A51&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=8%2CCOLORADO |archive-date=2 August 2023 |date=June–July 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> |- !scope="row"|Gageby Creek |[[Bent County, Colorado|Bent]]||4,600||{{dts|2023|4|19|format=md}}||{{dts|2023|4|28|format=md}}||The [[National Centers for Environmental Information]] (NCEI) did not document information about this wildfire.||<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-04-19 |title=Helicopter crew assessing Gageby Creek fire burning on 1,680 acres in southeastern Colorado |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2023/04/19/helicopter-crew-assess-fire-burning-1400-acres-southeastern-colorado |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=The Denver Post |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=National Centers for Environmental Information |title=Bent County, Colorado Wildfire Events Between 04/19/2023 and 04/30/2023 |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=%28Z%29+Wildfire&beginDate_mm=04&beginDate_dd=19&beginDate_yyyy=2023&endDate_mm=04&endDate_dd=30&endDate_yyyy=2023&county=BENT%3A11&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=8%2CCOLORADO |website=Storm Event Database |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=3 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230803044147/http://web.archive.org/screenshot/https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/listevents.jsp?eventType=%28Z%29+Wildfire&beginDate_mm=04&beginDate_dd=19&beginDate_yyyy=2023&endDate_mm=04&endDate_dd=30&endDate_yyyy=2023&county=BENT%3A11&hailfilter=0.00&tornfilter=0&windfilter=000&sort=DT&submitbutton=Search&statefips=8%2CCOLORADO |archive-date=3 August 2023 |date=July 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Governor Polis Takes Action in Response to Gageby Creek Fire in Bent County |url=https://cdn.colorado.gov/governor/news/10131-governor-polis-takes-action-response-gageby-creek-fire-bent-county |website=cdn.colorado.gov |access-date=May 18, 2025}}</ref> |- !scope="row"|Spring Creek |[[Garfield County, Colorado|Garfield]]||3,256||{{dts|2023|7|24|format=md}}||{{center|October 1||| ||<ref>{{Cite web |title=Spring Creek Fire |url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/cowrf-spring-creek-fire |access-date=July 30, 2023 |website=InciWeb: Incident Information System}}</ref> |- !scope="row"|Lowline |[[Gunnison County, Colorado|Gunnison]]||1,999||{{dts|2023|7|26|format=md}}||{{dts|2023|12|13|format=md}}|||Lightning-caused. ||<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lowline Fire |url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/cogmf-lowline-fire |access-date=May 13, 2024 |website=InciWeb: Incident Information System}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Lowline Fire 100% Contained |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/gmug/newsroom/releases/lowline-fire-100-contained |website=fs.usda.gov |date=December 13, 2023 |publisher=United States Forest Service |access-date=May 18, 2025}}</ref> |- !scope="row"|Bear Creek |[[Hinsdale County, Colorado|Hinsdale]]||1,093||{{dts|2023|7|28|format=md}}||2023|||Caused by lightning about {{convert|20|mile}} northwest of [[Pagosa Springs, Colorado|Pagosa Springs]]. ||<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bear Creek Fire |url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/cosjf-bear-creek-fire |access-date=May 13, 2024 |website=InciWeb: Incident Information System}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Cosjf Bear Creek Fire Information |url=https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/cosjf-bear-creek-fire |website=InciWeb |access-date=May 18, 2025}}</ref> |- !scope="row"|Little Mesa |[[Delta County, Colorado|Delta]]||4,009||{{dts|2023|7|31|format=md}}||{{center|September 20||| ||<ref>{{Cite web |title=Little Mesa Fire |url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/coupd-little-mesa-fire |access-date=September 26, 2023 |website=InciWeb: Incident Information System}}</ref> |- !scope="row"|Quartz Ridge |[[Archuleta County, Colorado|Archuleta]]||2,850||{{dts|2023|8|5|format=md}}||{{center|October 30||| ||<ref>{{Cite web |title=Quartz Ridge Fire |url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/cosjf-quartz-ridge-fire-fire |access-date=September 26, 2023 |website=InciWeb: Incident Information System}}{{Dead link |date=May 2024}}</ref> |- !scope="row"|Dry Lake |[[Archuleta County, Colorado|Archuleta]]||1,372||{{dts|2023|8|30|format=md}}||{{center|September 12||| ||<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dry Lake Fire |url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/cosjf-dry-lake-fire |access-date=September 26, 2023 |website=InciWeb: Incident Information System}}{{Dead link |date=May 2024}}</ref> |- !scope="row"|Hope |[[Montezuma County, Colorado|Montezuma]] |1,290 |{{dts|2023|9|21|format=md}} |{{dts|2023|10|7|format=md}} |Lightning-caused. Burned {{convert|9|mile}} northwest of [[Dolores, Colorado|Dolores]]. |<ref>{{cite web |title=Hope - Wildfire and Smoke Map |url=https://data.coloradoan.com/fires/hope/cb0b3ef7-d77f-4865-9de6-7ae1700d3e67/ |access-date=August 26, 2025 |website=data.coloradoan.com}}</ref> |- !scope="row"|Iron |[[Moffat County, Colorado|Moffat]] |7,392 |{{dts|2023|9|29|format=md}} |{{dts|2023|10|5|format=md}} |Undetermined cause. Burned {{convert|18|mile}} northwest of [[Craig, Colorado|Craig]]. |<ref>{{cite web |title=Iron Fire Map |url=https://app.watchduty.org/i/13180 |access-date=August 26, 2025 |website=[[Watch Duty]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Grewe |first1=Lindsey |title='Iron Fire' burning in northwest Colorado now 50 percent contained |url=https://www.kktv.com/2023/10/03/iron-fire-burning-northwest-colorado-now-50-percent-contained/ |access-date=August 26, 2025 |work=[[KKTV]] |date=October 3, 2023}}</ref> |- !scope="row"|Trail Springs |[[Archuleta County, Colorado|Archuleta]] |1,358 |{{dts|2023|10|23|format=md}} |2023 |Lighting-caused. Burned {{convert|12|mile}} northwest of [[Pagosa Springs, Colorado|Pagosa Springs]]. Was 44% contained on November 24. |<ref>{{cite web |title=Trail Springs - Wildfire and Smoke Map |url=https://data.coloradoan.com/fires/trail-springs/5664eea7-1f0b-49f2-b588-8e5c80f30a9e/?page=56&anchor= |access-date=August 26, 2025 |website=data.coloradoan.com}}</ref> |}
== See also == * [[Colorado State Forest Service]] * [[List of Colorado wildfires]] * [[2023 Arizona wildfires]] * [[2023 New Mexico wildfires]] * [[2023 Utah wildfires]]
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{2023 wildfires}} {{Colorado wildfires}}
[[Category:2023 wildfires in the United States]] [[Category:Wildfires in Colorado]]