American Red Cross of Western Colorado opens shelter for residents near Gold Mountain Fire

On Friday, the American Red Cross of Western Colorado announced it's reopening a shelter for those affected by the Gold Mountain Fire.

The shelter and evacuation center is set up at Ridgway Secondary School, which is located at 1200 Green Street in Ridgway. They said volunteers are offering help and information for evacuees, including food, water, medical services and mental health services.

Pets are also allowed at the shelter. The Red Cross says they do not require anyone to show identification to enter the shelter, only provide their name and where they live.

Incident command says the Gold Mountain Fire has burned approximately 21,031 acres and remains 0% contained as of Friday morning. They say the fire moved significantly eastward on Thursday, primarily along the eastern side of the Cow Creek drainage. It also grew further west in the Cutler Creek and Baldy Peak area above Highway 550. Air tankers and helicopters are working to slow the spread in these areas, buying more time for crews to construct containment lines.

The area is under a Red Flag Warning until 8 p.m. Friday, and dry, hot conditions are expected to continue throughout the day. Incident command says they expect moderate fire behavior in the morning, but that's expected to increase to very active or extreme behavior in the early afternoon.

The Ouray County Sheriff's Office says Clearnetworx internet is still down across much of the area.

The temporary closure on Highway 550 between Ridgway and Ouray is still in place.