As of Sunday morning, July 5, 2026, the Willow Fire west of Leadville, Colorado, intensified and spread by nearly 1,000 acres within a day. Authorities have issued evacuation and pre-evacuation directives. The new evacuation order impacts areas including Halfmoon Road, known for its access to camping spots and the trailhead to Mount Massive, Colorado’s second tallest peak.

Nick Castro, from the Southwest Area Complex Incident Management Team, detailed the firefight strategies in a video shared on Saturday morning. He stated that the fire expanded by roughly 900 acres overnight. Efforts included establishing Halfmoon Road as a fire containment line, using controlled burns and slurry drops from aircraft.

Castro highlighted plans to leverage the terrain’s natural features to direct the fire toward higher elevations with less flammable material. However, by Sunday morning, evacuation became mandatory for Halfmoon Road and Lake Fork Trailer Park due to the fire’s southern and southeastern reach. Lake County Sheriff Heath Speckman confirmed a significant overnight growth of the fire.

The fire advanced towards regions south and southeast, affecting the northern side of Twin Lakes and the eastern segment of State Highway 82 near Independence Pass. The pre-evacuation zones now extend to the border of Chaffee County.

Evacuation shelters have been set up at the Buena Vista Public Safety Complex and Battle Mountain High School. Also, Leadville Regional Airport has restricted air traffic to firefight and emergency activities.

On Friday, Castro had noted concerns about the fire’s southern boundary, citing record-low moisture levels fueling the blaze. The Willow Fire started on June 28 in the Twin Mounds area between Mount Massive and Leadville. It has grown to 3,957 acres, with only 1% contained. The source of the fire remains unclear.

Volunteers are working hard to mobilize resources and distribute donations to Colorado residents displaced by wildfires.