The Colorado Department of Transportation has a message for Front Range residents thinking of taking a weekend vacation in the mountains: go north or south instead.

“Colorado has so many great places to see and visit,” said CDOT’s executive director, Shoshana Lew. “We want to keep folks off I-70 to the west so we want to encourage residents to check out some of the great attractions to the north and south of our state.”

The advisory is due to the Grizzly Creek Fire, which overnight experienced “rapid and erratic growth, challenging firefighters and prompting additional evacuations,” according to a multiagency Facebook page that provides updates on the response.

As of Thursday night, the fire had reportedly consumed 13,441 acres near Glenwood Springs, with an interstate closure between the city and Gypsum.

“The closures will probably be in place for awhile and travelers are already clogging most of the detours around the area,” the department wrote in an announcement. “That is why CDOT is encouraging people to find some new areas of the state to check out this weekend.”

The incident response page explained that dry vegetation, terrain, arid weather and gusty winds have combined to fuel the fire’s growth. As long as the weather stays hot and dry, the fire will keep burning.