UPDATED: Delaware Wildland Firefighters Begin 14-Day Assignment in Colorado

Newly built E-613 Type 6 Wildland Fire Engine and crew: Sam Topper (ENGB; Engine Boss), Aiden Binko, and Tom Hairgrove (FFT2; Fire Fighter Type 2)

UPDATED – 07/20/25 – Delaware’s wildland fire engine E-613 and its three-man crew begin a 14-day assignment helping to contain the Turner Gulch wildfire which is south of Grand Junction, Colorado. As of Saturday night the wildfire has grown slightly – but remains about 34% contained. Delaware Forest Service expects to continue supporting wildland fires in the western states throughout the rest of the summer and into early fall. The Delaware crew left from Blackbird State Forest on Thursday.

According to the Turner Gulch and Wright Draw Fires Facebook page, “From July 10 to July 17, air resources dropped 143,130 gallons of water and 298,628 gallons of fire retardant on these fires.”

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ORIGINAL STORY – 07/18/25 – A newly built Type 6 wildland fire engine, E-613, with a crew of three Delaware firefighters left the the Blackbird State Forest Thursday – headed for the Turner Gulch wildfire in Grand Junction, Colorado. The crew will help with containment of the fire – they begin their 14-day assignment on Sunday. The Delaware Forest Service expects to continue supporting wildland fires in the western states through the rest of the summer and into early fall. Officials say crew swaps will be used to ensure the E-613 engine can continue supporting fires throughout the US while providing needed rest and recovery for Delaware’s firefighting crews.

Additional information from DE State Forest Service:
The Turner Gulch fire was discovered on July 10th, 2025 during a red flag event that was followed by extensive dry lightning. It is currently covering 15,071 acres. Steep terrain, hot dry weather, and drought conditions are making it difficult for crews to access this fire. It has been noted that 9% of the fire perimeter has been contained. The Turner Gulch fire is being managed by the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1. Previously, it was handled by the Upper Colorado River Fire Management Unit Type 3. Evacuations of the area are in progress.

According to InciWeb, as of noon on Friday, this fire is 34% contained and includes over 15,200 acres.