Editor’s note: Stories in this list received the most page views on SummitDaily.com from June 24 to July 1.

1. Fire in western Colorado grows to 3,000 acres

Rugged topography, natural fuels and unrelenting wind gusts have caused the now three-day long Spring Creek wildland fire southwest of Parachute to spread to 3,000 acres, the Bureau of Land Management estimated on the evening of June 26.

The extreme fire behavior and its rapid growth has now prompted aid from the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 2. It is expected to arrive June 30.

Air and ground resources are still active in the area. BLM Public Information Officer Eric Coulter said this includes just over 300 personnel, 8 crews, 25 engines, and heavy air resources, including helicopters and retardant delivery aircraft. Hot shot crews were also deployed. 

“With the rugged terrain and fire behavior, life and safety are always the top priority,” Coulter said. “A lot of effort is going to the forward-looking planning, transitioning to the Complex incident and continuing to protect firefighters, the public and resources.

Coulter said there are no evacuations at this time but there are structure protection resources available and ready.

The U.S. Forest stated in a June 27 morning news release that ​​Spring Creek Road and High Mesa Road are open to local traffic only. With the incoming resources, there will be an increase in fire personnel on the roadway.

“Please avoid the area if possible and drive with caution,” the Forest Service advised.

2. A young cowboy from a small town in Colorado is the No. 1 bareback rider in the world

Pro Rodeo’s top bareback rider in the world once again hails from Northwest Colorado. 

Hayden’s Keenan Hayes has been in a back-and-forth battle for the No. 1 bareback ranking all season against Leighton Berry of Weatherford, Texas. But after a three-rodeo weekend, Hayes for now has taken back the lead. 

A top ranking is something the 20-year-old has worked for since he was a child growing up in Routt County, and he said it means the world to see himself in the top spot once again. 

“It’s been something I’ve been working for my entire life and you just have to keep working at it,” Hayes said. “It’s pretty awesome to see, especially being so young and that being my main goal for my whole life.”

Last week, Hayes traveled to rodeos in Nevada, Texas and Arkansas, earning just shy of $10,000 between his six rides. He said his biggest ride of all was in Reno on the back of Yeti Rambler, a bronc that he rode for an 86-point, second-place finish.

3. Did you see the snow and funnel clouds in the Colorado mountains?

Summit County and the surrounding area experienced extreme weather Friday, June 30.

Snow fell on Loveland Pass, funnel clouds were spotted in Park County and a lightning storm prompted action from Summit County Search and Rescue Group.

If you captured any photos or video of extreme weather in Summit County or the mountains of Colorado, send it to share@summitdaily.com for a chance to be featured online and on our social media channels.

4. A backcountry skier who fell 1,000 feet through a couloir at Torreys Peak had a ‘walkie-talkie’ radio. It helped rescuers find him and get him help.

When the Evergreen-based Alpine Rescue Team received a call this past Memorial Day weekend for a skier who had taken a 1,000-foot fall through a couloir off Torreys Peak, just east of Summit County, the rescuers said the conditions were abysmal.

Jacob Smith, a spokesperson and member of the rescue group, said that by the time that call came in around 11 a.m. on May 28, the snow had started to warm up, becoming so soft that rescuers were sinking up to their waists.

At least one person higher up on the 14,267-foot peak had limited cell service to call for help, but the injured party and those down with him in the couloir had none, Smith said. However, the skiers did have one piece of technology that proved invaluable that day: walkie-talkies.

“It was super early on that they happened to mention it to our mission coordinator,” Smith said. “Luckily they did.”

The simple radios proved critical that day. Now, the Colorado Search & Rescue Association is highlighting the potential for family radio service or general mobile radio service radios — known more generally as “walkie-talkies” — to save lives in the backcountry.

5. Dillon Post Office orders towing of a dozen vehicles from its lot during amphitheater concert

At the request of the U.S. Postal Service, tow trucks removed 12 vehicles from the Dillon Post Office parking lot during a concert at the Dillon Amphitheater, Thursday, June 22, according to the towing company that did the work.

Dillon Town Manager Nathan Johnson said “several individuals” have come into town hall or the police department to discuss the towing. But the U.S. Postal Service, not the town, ordered the towing, he said.

“This is their issue, not ours,” Johnson said. “We’re just trying to work to find a solution that could potentially benefit all of us.”

From the town’s understanding, Johnson added, the U.S. Postal Service is exempt from the new Colorado state law that requires towing companies to give a 24-hour written notice before removing vehicles.

That law states that the 24-hour written notice does not apply to a tow from a parking lot that serves a business if the parking space is on commercial real estate or if the parking space is not in a common parking area. Commercial real estate is defined as any real property other than residential units.