BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — Red flag warnings are up in parts of Colorado. Those alerts are being issued as the massive Spring Creek Fire burns in Parachute, on the Western Slope.

At 3,000 acres, the fire is so large that massive plumes could be seen from the Denver metro area on Monday evening. The smoke is prompting questions from people who want to know more about the fire’s impact in Denver and around the state.

Several viewers sent FOX31 video from the fire that broke out over the weekend. One person said it just kept getting bigger and bigger.

The large plumes of smoke were even turning the skies orange over the town of Superior, 200 miles away. In the community of Marshall, home to one of the state’s worst fires ever, that smoke was very much noticed by Jeff Giddings.

“Honestly, the fire here went through my mind. I could see it coming over,” Giddings said of the Spring Creek Fire’s smoke. “I didn’t know how close it was. I didn’t feel I was in danger.”

The burn from the Spring Creek wildfire near Parachute, Colorado, multiplied overnight to an estimated 3,000 acres. (Garfield County Sheriff’s Office)

Lush greenery brings worry for future fire danger

Giddings’ home survived the Marshall Fire, but several others in his neighborhood burned.

While many parts of the Front Range have had rain, the moisture is drying out, and there is wind.

“The weeds are all taller than I am now, so I’m worried if it gets really dry and hot we’ll have another big fire,” Giddings said.

The smoke prompted Mountain View Fire Rescue to tweet that the Spring Creek Fire was not on the Front Range but instead on the Western Slope.

And while that fire is still far west, it’s a reminder that wildfires can start up in a flash — even with all the rain that’s fallen lately, said Paul Ostroy, fire management officer with Mountain View Fire Rescue.

“We could still be at risk. There are still some areas with pockets of fuel that are still susceptible to fire,” Ostroy said.

Recent rains have been great and have turned the grass green. Concerns will grow as vegetation dries out.

“The carrier is going to be the grass, but with it being as green as it is, it will be a little slower. We can still hope to manage the fire, but we will still see fire movement and or have an issue with it,” Ostroy said.

Back in the community of Marshall, Giddings said his family has a fire plan, just in case.