After days of hot and windy conditions, Wednesday’s cloud cover and mild temperatures allowed crews to make slight progress in the battle against a series of fires along Colorado’s Western Slope.
The weather helped slow the spread of the South Rim fire responsible for closing Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
In a video update posted Thursday afternoon, Tyler Nathe, the operations section chief with the Rocky Mountain Area Complex Incident Management Team 3, said the area only received moderate precipitation, but the cooler conditions allowed crews to continue digging fire lines and putting water resources in place to protect nearby properties.
“It’s important to note the fuels are still record-dry and everything is still very available to burn,” Nathe explains. “So while we are moderated on the behavior, there’s still a lot of fire on the landscape.”
The most recent measurement showed the blaze is now smoldering at around 4,000 acres. Fire officials say an aircraft carrying infrared cameras will offer a more accurate estimate later on Thursday. While the blaze remains officially uncontained, Nathe said crews have made significant progress to keep the fire from moving further south.
Similar conditions assisted crews working on the Wright Draw fire and the Turner Gulch fire near Gateway, Colo.
The blazes are burning on opposite sides of Unaweep Canyon south of Grand Junction. At an estimated 15,071 acres by Thursday morning, the Turner Gulch fire remains the largest fire burning entirely within Colorado’s border. The Wright Draw Fire is far smaller at 448 acres.
Evacuation orders remain in effect along Highway 141 between mile markers 120 and 134. On Wednesday evening, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office evacuated the Divide Forks Campground area near Gateway, Colorado.
Both fires experienced limited growth on Wednesday, according to Grad Pietruszka, the operations section chief for Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1. In a video update Thursday morning, Pietruszka said continued cooler weather and moisture should assist crews through the rest of the week.
The Turner Gulch fire is now 5% contained thanks to a fireline established on the southwest corner of the blaze. Pietruszka said the current objective is to push flames away from the canyon onto the less populated Umcompahgre Plateau.
The cooler weather conditions also slowed the growth of the Deer Creek fire and helped crews achieve a 7% containment by Thursday morning. The fire is burning mostly in Utah, but a small portion has entered Colorado roughly one mile north of State Highway 90 near Paradox, Colo.
Federal fire officials expect rain could arrive in the fire area on Friday. Those storms, however, could cause wind gusts between 30 and 50 mph, which could create dangerous conditions as firefighters work to contain the blaze and protect properties.
