Rio Blanco Fire

Archuleta County, Colorado · Wildfire

No longer active Official numbers updated Aug 19, 2026 (24 days ago)

First reported about 7 weeks ago

Metric	Last report	Now	Change
Size	1,246 acres Aug 5, 6:00 PM	1,388 acres Sep 11, 8:00 PM +142 acres was 1,246 acres · Aug 5, 6:00 PM	+142 acres in about 1 month
Containment	97% Aug 18, 8:01 PM	100% Sep 11, 8:00 PM +3 percent was 97% · Aug 18, 8:01 PM	+3 percent in 24 days
Crew size	85 Aug 18, 8:01 PM	26 Sep 11, 8:00 PM −59 was 85 · Aug 18, 8:01 PM	−59 in 24 days
Money spent	$10.6M Aug 18, 8:01 PM	$11.2M Sep 11, 8:00 PM +$587,656 was $10.6M · Aug 18, 8:01 PM	+$587,656 in 24 days

Rio Blanco Fire summary

The Rio Blanco Fire is a wildfire near Archuleta County, Colorado. It has burned about 1,388 acres (about 1,000 football fields). Crews have it fully contained, with a line all the way around it. It was first reported about 7 weeks ago. About 26 people are on it, run by a Type 4 IC.

Size: 1,388 acres
Containment: 100%
Discovered: July 28, 2026 (first reported about 7 weeks ago)
Cause: Not reported

The size and containment above are current as of Tuesday, September 1st at 9:00 p.m. CDT.

Weather & fire-spread conditions

No Red Flag Warning. The National Weather Service hasn't flagged this area for dangerous fire-spread conditions right now.

Hot, dry, and windy weather can help a fire grow; cool, calm, or wet weather helps crews. The tags below rate each day for fire spread — green is calm, red can push a fire.

A general fire-weather guide (wind matters most, then how dry it is, then heat), not a prediction of what this fire will do.

Tonight

47°F · Mostly Clear

Wind 0 to 5 mph NNW · 2% chance of rain

Wind: Calm Heat: Cool Dry

Wednesday

83°F · Sunny

Wind 0 to 15 mph NW · 2% chance of rain

Wind: Breezy Heat: Warm Dry

Wednesday Night

48°F · Mostly Clear

Wind 0 to 10 mph E · 2% chance of rain

Wind: Breezy Heat: Cool Dry

Thursday

84°F · Sunny

Wind 0 to 10 mph S · 2% chance of rain

Wind: Breezy Heat: Warm Dry

Thursday Night

50°F · Partly Cloudy then Slight Chance Rain Showers

Wind 0 to 10 mph NNE · 16% chance of rain

Wind: Breezy Heat: Cool Dry

Forecast from the National Weather Service (weather.gov), pulled Tuesday, September 1st at 9:02 p.m. CDT.

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Who's on it

About 26 people are assigned to this fire, run by a Type 4 IC. The government rates it a Type 3 Incident. About $11 million has been spent on it so far.

The official feed reports the total headcount, not a breakdown by crew type.

Where to get live updates

We show the daily official picture. For minute-by-minute updates, evacuation orders, and maps, these do it best:

→ Watch Duty: real-time fire reporting and evacuations.
→ InciWeb: the government's official fire information site.

Nearby fires to Rio Blanco Fire

No other active fires are near this one right now. It's on its own.

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