The Golden Gate Fire Protection District was dispatched to an open-space fire, just after 4:00 pm on August 20, 2024. The fire was located on top of a ridge, on the north side of Clear Creek Canyon Road (Highway 6), about 1 mile west of Golden, Colorado. This area is known for rattlesnakes and its rough canyon terrain.

The extremely steep terrain made it very difficult to reach the fire; therefore, air crews were called, but were not available long enough to help throughout the evening and therefore canceled. Winds increased through the evening and through the night, forcing the fire over the crest and downward and into the canyon. This caused unpredictable conditions and forced the fire crews to be removed during the night hours, and the closure of Clear Creek Canyon Road in both directions.

With the increasing winds and direction, fire crews were also concerned about the fire jumping the canyon and moving towards a housing development, which was only about 1 mile south/east of the fire flank. (In those conditions, the fire had the potential of reaching the homes in approximately 1-1/2 hours.)

By the following morning (August 22), the winds had subsided enough for the ground crews to return and air crews to start fighting the fire from above, with helicopter water drops. After more than 24 hours, the fire was fully contained and extinguished.

According to fire officials, the fire is to believed to have been ignited by a lightning strike, from a thunder storm which had passed through in the late afternoon of the 20^th. (Additional information provided by 5280fire.com)