Southwest Colorado Wildfire Updates – Wed., June 27, 2 p.m.
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New fires as of 6/27
Last night's thuderstorms spawned several small fires throughout the area and ot the west of Durango. The Escarpment Fire near Mesa Verde National Park on Ute Mountain Ute lad, was reported WEdensdya morning and is estimated at 50-75 acres. The fire is not accessible by road and is being fought by ingle engine airtankers and helicopter. A wildfire on Haycamp Mesa, east of Dolores, also broke out, but was contained.
As of 10 a.m. this morning, the Durango Interagency Dispatch responded to 15-20 lightning strikes.Smoke was visible at Nighthorse Reservoir this morning, early reports are that fire is contained at 3-4 acres. A larger fire also has broken out around 12:45 p.m. today in Lighter Creek, detials follow:
Lightner Creek Fire, Durango:
Size: 80 acres
Containment: n/a
Personnel: n/a
Cause: Lightning
Date started: 6/27/12
Summary: At approximately 12:45 p.m., a fire was reported up Lightner Creek. The smoke from the fire is very visible from Durango. The fire is burning on private land & Perins Peak State Wildlife Area. The fire started 1.5 miles off County Road 208 from where it junctions with CR 207. It has been confirmed that it started by lightning. Structure protection staging is being done by Ft. Lewis Mesa Fire Department, Durango Fire and Rescue Authority and Upper Pine Fire Protection District. The San Juan National Forest Type III team is in charge.
County Road 207 and 208 (Dry Fork Road) are closed to all incoming traffic at this time. Pre-evacuation notices were sent out to 60 residents north of County Road 207 and County Road 208 junction and those County Roads have been closed to nonresidents. The La Plata County Sheriff’s Office has gone door-to-door to inform residents of possible evacuation.
Durango Fire and Rescue Chief Dan Noonan reports that the slurry line at the top is holding well, but there is growth at mid slope and to the north. The fire is burning on private property on the side of Barnroof Mountain, near CR 208 (Dry Fork Road).
For preparedness information and early information and updates on emergencies in progress, citizens can follow OEM on Twitter at: @LPC_OEM.
To follow updates by text message without joining Twitter, just text “FOLLOW LPC_OEM” to 40404 on your cell phone and you will receive all updates posted by the La Plata County Office of Emergency Management by text message. Residents can also follow the San Juan National Forest Twitter at: SanJuanNF for additional updates.
La Plata County’s emergency notification system (commonly referred to as “Reverse 9-1-1”) includes cell phones and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). Residents who live in La Plata County may register up to five cell or Internet phone numbers with a physical street address, ensuring that emergency notifications are received even when residents are not at home or if they don’t have a land line. To sign up, visit the County’s website at www.co.laplata.co.us and go to the “emergency alert” button on the left side of the home page.
Fire stats at a glance:
Weber Fire, Mancos:
Size: 9,155 acres (14.3 square miles)
Containment: 30%
Personnel: 512
Cause: Human-casued, under investigation
Date started: 6/22/12
Summary: The Weber Fire continued to burn overnight, with areas of active fire on the northwest and southeast flanks. Heavy fuels and favorable alignment with wind and terrain could cause increased fire activity in these areas later today. Crews continue to work conducting burnout operations and constructing and strengthening fire line. No structures have been destroyed; evacuations remain in place. Mop-up and cold-trailing will also continue today. Steep terrain (and the risk of rolling embers) is making direct firefighting tactics unsafe in some areas. Instead, firefighters are gradually bringing fire down to established containment lines.
Rocky Mountain Team C Incident Commander Joe Lowe praised the work of the more than 500 people on the fire stating, “Rough terrain, unpredictable weather, and heavy, dry fuels have made this a hard fought battle.”
Residents and visitors should expect to see and smell smoke over the next several days. If health issues are experienced, residents are advised to stay indoors.
Additionally, a satellite information center is being staffed from10:30 a.m. -5:30 p.m. at the Mancos Community Center (130 Grand). Anyone wanting to view updated fire perimeter maps and meet with information personnel one-to-one are encouraged to stop by and visit.
Additionally, a community meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. tonight (Wed.) at the Mancos High School Performing Arts Center.
Highway 41 has been reopened. However, evacuated residents will still need an escort into their homes. Escorts will be provided by the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office between 10 a.m. -2 p.m. All inquiries relating to the evacuations should be directed to the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office at (970) 564-4996 or (970) 564-4999.
Stateline Fire, southern La Plata County:
Size: 350 acres
Containment: 80%
Personnel: 150 firefighters, 5 engines, one helipcopter; San Juan Type III Team in place
Cause: Under investigation
Summary: Firefighters made good progress on the State Line Fire Tuesday and the fire is now 80% contained. There was no new growth; the fire size remains at 350 acres. The Type 3 Team will transition the fire to a Type 4 incident commander and smaller organization Wednesday. One 20-person crew and two engines will remain on scene to complete containment of the fire and continue mopping-up. The estimated cost to date is $381,000. Two 20-person crews will be released and reassigned. One crew will be assigned to the Weber Fire and the other 20-person crew will be assigned to initial attack on new fire starts within the Durango Zone.
Little Sand Fire, northwest of Pagosa Springs:
Size: 21,616 acres on Forest Service land
Containment: 31%
Personnel: 181
Cause: Lightning
151 Fire - south of Chimney Rock
Size: 10 acres, all on private land
Containment: 100%
Personnel: Air and ground crews
Cause: Downed power line in Cabezon Canyon, about 2 miles south of Colo. Hwy 151.
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