Larry Robinson/The Daily Sentinel
In this photo taken from Colorado Highway 141 on Wednesday, a home protected by firefighters and saved from major damage is surrounded by torched landscape from the Turner Gulch Fire, which is now burning over 15,000 acres near the community of Gateway. The home is a symbol of a resilient community keeping its composure amid several fires by leaning on each other as well as roughly 500 new residents.
GATEWAY — Upon a hill in the Unaweep Canyon sits a multi-story house, surrounded on all sides by charred trees, ash on the ground and dust devils dancing in the wind.
Despite being surrounded on all sides by the Turner Gulch Fire early this week, firefighters battled back the flames. Ultimately, the house — which is being called the “Miracle House” by some fire personnel working in Gateway — was untouched, perhaps a symbol of a resilient community keeping its composure amid several fires by leaning on each other as well as roughly 500 new residents.
Larry Robinson/The Daily Sentinel
Smoke billows from an active fire area last week within the Turner Gulch Fire near the community of Gateway. The fire is burning 16,851 acres and was 37% contained Wednesday.
The Turner Gulch Fire 7.5 miles northeast of Gateway is burning over 15,000 acres as of Thursday (9% contained), making it Colorado’s largest current wildfire. The Wright Draw Fire 5.5 miles north of town is burning another 448 acres of steep, rocky terrain. These fires have prompted evacuations along 14 miles of Colorado Highway 141 through Unaweep Canyon.
Early in the week, the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1 (RMCIMT1) assumed control of fire management in the area, bringing together federal, state and local resources to fight the fire. Agencies The Daily Sentinel observed in the area during a visit Wednesday include the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, the Montrose Hellfighters, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office, PatRick Environmental (which operates in North Carolina, Idaho, Washington and Oregon), South Dakota Wildland Fire, the National Park Service, Boulder County Fire Management, Black Forest Fire Rescue, and fire workers from Cascade in Montana.
Larry Robinson/The Daily Sentinel
A firefighting helicopter does a survey flight on July 17 around the area where homes were spared from the Turner Gulch Fire.
“I’d like to thank all of you for the use of (the community center) but even more so welcoming us to the community,” said RMCIMT1 Public Information Officer Brant Porter during a town information event Wednesday night attended my more than 60 locals. “We’ve been in town for about 36 hours and we’re really grateful for the support from the community.”
As the fires burn, members of the community have worked to accommodate both the influx of fire personnel and each other.
Mesa County Commissioner Cody Davis mentioned to attendees that a man named Joey was offering his Airbnb property Wednesday and Thursday to anyone needing a space to nap and shower.
Larry Robinson/The Daily Sentinel
Firefighting personnel wait to be called upon nearby structures along Colorado Highway 141 amidst the Turner Gulch and Wright Draw Fires on Wednesday.
“I think that just shows the spirit here in Gateway,” Davis said. “Come Hell or highwater, we take care of our property, we take care of our neighbors and our farms. That’s what I appreciate about this community.”
Gateway Canyons Resort and Spa is serving as a base camp for several hundred firefighters. The resort is also providing helipad access for the helicopters being used to dump water on more active and hard-to-reach fire areas.
Larry Robinson/The Daily Sentinel
A domestic dog runs Wednesday along Colorado Highway 141 with soot covering the lower portions of its legs inside the evacuation order zone for the Turner Gulch Fire near Gateway.
“They needed to come to us and we had a lot of space, so that’s helpful,” said Gateway Canyons Resort General Manager John Giansiracusa.
“They’re pretty self-sufficient. They’re pretty much just asking us if they can use our property. They use the bathrooms, the restrooms, they can step in and cool down a bit in the (air conditioning), but for the most part, they set up their tents themselves, they’ve got food. Some of them are staying up at the hotel, as well. We’re just here to offer the space as we can.... We’re familiar with this. It’s been a while — maybe six or seven years since they set up shop here before — but we’ve done it in the past, so we were prepared.”
Local wildlife on Wednesday runs away from active fire areas nearby the Turner Gulch and Wright Draw Fires, seen on Colorado Highway 141.
Several employees of Gateway School told The Daily Sentinel that the school’s campus is being utilized to house firefighters. Night crews have been given access to the gymnasium to sleep during the day.
“We want to thank you guys for letting us move into your community,” Colorado Fire Prevention and Control Deputy Chief Ryan McCulley told residents. “We’re going to be here for a bit while we’re working to address the fire.”
Heavy smoke is seen Wednesday from Colorado Highway 141 from the Turner Gulch and Wright Draw Fires.
Kristen Adell, the U.S. Postal Service postmaster for the Gateway area, said the fire led to a brief pause of USPS service to the area, but that’s been addressed, so contract drivers have access to deliver mail to anywhere outside of the evacuation zone (mile markers 120-134 along Highway 141). Adell said the presence of so many firefighters is “fantastic.”
“There’s a lot of concern, a lot of worry, a lot of stress, but it’s so nice to see so many men and women firefighters here,” she said. “We couldn’t ask for a better team. Our beautiful part of the world is going up in smoke. It’s kind of scary.”
Larry Robinson/The Daily Sentinel
A herd of cattle graze on July 17 just on the boundary of fire damage from the Turner Gulch Fire near Gateway. For local rancher Janie VanWinkle and her family, life continues — even in the midst of a wildfire.
THE ANIMAL DILEMMA
Much of the land around Gateway is used for livestock and ranching, so for those in the fire’s territory, animal management is a critical component.
Abby Roehm, an administrative assistant at Gateway School, said her family received “adequate notice” to evacuate and move their sheep, mule, chickens and four dogs to family members’ property in the Grand Valley. She said her family had all the help they needed during the evacuation process.
A home protected by firefighters and saved from major damage from the Turner Gulch Fire, which is now burning over 15,000 acres nearby the community of Gateway, seen from Colorado Highway 141 on July 16, 2025.
“My personal experience is that the firefighters have been phenomenal. It’s been a pleasure to have them and we’re so grateful for all the hard work they’ve done,” Roehm said. “We have family in the valley, so we’ve been staying with them and they have our animals and everything. We’re back and forth. We come down here during the day and there at night. As they lift evacuations, we’ll be back at home.”
Rancher Janie VanWinkle lives in the Grand Valley but she’s spent much of her week in Gateway, as her ranch has a grazing permit of about 39,000 acres atop the Uncompahgre Plateau — and over 3,000 of those acres are on fire.
Larry Robinson/The Daily Sentinel
Wind blows clouds of ash Wednesday after fire damage from the Turner Gulch Fire near the community of Gateway in mid-July.
She and others with VanWinkle Ranch have taken to horseback riding atop the plateau to guide 700-750 head of cattle away from the blaze. She told The Daily Sentinel she saw roughly a dozen different bear tracks, showing that bears in the area have been running away from the fire. The Forest Service has been allowing Uncompahgre Plateau access for those with cattle and permits on the land going up Divide Road.
VanWinkle worked with Mesa County to establish areas in the Grand Valley for evacuated livestock. However, for larger ranchers with livestock in the area, VanWinkle said relocating them out of the area simply not practical, so she and other large ranchers have offered to look after other ranchers’ livestock.
”The folks who are in the Unaweep Canyon are taking care of themselves,” VanWinkle said. “They’ve got all the support they need with where to go with their livestock. Most of them have friends. We’ve taken a few livestock in, some horses. People have called and said, ‘Can I keep my horses at your place in Whitewater?’”
Denver Post staff photojournalist Hyoung Chang takes a photo of landscape damage from the Turner Gulch Fire, now burning over 15,000 acres nearby the community of Gateway, from Colorado Highway 141 on July 16, 2025.
“The key to the whole thing is staying in good communication with the fire managers, and I can’t say enough good things about the U.S. Forest Service and how they’re interacting with us and keeping us informed with what they expect the fire to do. We’re in communication with them nearly constantly.”
VanWinkle said this fire is “emotional” for those in the Gateway area.
”You can hear the fire. The sound of it is unbelievable. The sound of that fire from a mile away is unbelievable,” she said. “It sounds like water rushing. It’s really loud. These are landscapes I’ve grown up on my whole life, so seeing some place go up in smoke and flames — and we see the flames — is very emotional.”
