Wildfire Smoke Engulfs Fruita As Utah Blaze Races Toward Colorado

Dramatic footage filmed by X user M T shows a massive orange-brown plume of smoke towering above a residential neighborhood in Fruita as a wildfire that started in Utah continues to burn and move toward western Colorado.

The fire was started by lightning the previous night in Utah. Extremely dry conditions, with humidity at 10 percent, and strong westerly winds reaching up to 46 mph have pushed the fire toward the Fruita area near Grand Junction.

M T, who filmed the video near Fruita, wrote, “Gonna be a long summer.”

The footage shows homes, vehicles, and yards beneath an enormous cloud of orange-brown smoke. The sun appears as a glowing red orb through the dense haze as smoke fills the sky above the neighborhood.

Powerful westerly winds reaching up to 46 mph and critically low humidity are fueling rapid fire spread and creating dangerous conditions across the region.

The wildfire, which ignited the previous night, is expected to contribute to a difficult and prolonged wildfire season across the area.