Beaver Creek Fire

Wednesday is expected to be the last day of cool weather before temperatures climb into the weekend, according to a U.S. Forest Service news release.

The Snake Fire started about five miles southeast of Battle Creek Campground in the Roaring Fork of the Little Snake River drainage.

The Snake Fire was first reported Saturday evening. First reported at 200 acres Sunday afternoon, it rapidly grew to 2,000 acres just a few hours later.

The rapid growth forced firefighters and equipment working on the west side of the fire to pull back as a precaution.

The Beaver Creek Fire started June 19 about 15 miles north of Walden, Colo. and has destroyed a number of cabins and outbuildings.

Monday's operation saw crews focused on assessment, aerial water drops, mechanized fire line construction and structure protection.

Benson says "there's heavy beetle-kill timber in the area," making it difficult to closely estimate the size of the blaze.