Single Publication

Lowline Fire Update

Friday, July 28, 2023 – 9:00 a.m.

Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1

Dan Dallas, Incident Commander

Information Phone: 970-648-4470 (public), 970-765-7123 (media)

Email: 2023.lowline@firenet.gov

Information Staffing Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Special Notes: This morning at 6:00 am, Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management (CIM) Team 1 assumed management responsibility for the Lowline Fire. The team is one of three CIM teams in the Rocky Mountain geographic area. The team thanks the ground and aerial resources who have been managing the fire to date. Their good work has set us up to successfully suppress the fire while protecting homes, other structures, infrastructure, and other resources. As with all wildland fires, public and firefighter safety is our highest priority.

Lowline Fire updates, photos, and videos will be posted throughout the day on Facebook at this link: www.facebook.com/GMUGFireInfo .

Current Situation: The Lowline Fire now stands at 730 acres and is 0% contained. Yesterday, crews made progress creating fire line through defendable fuels in sage/grass habitat in advance of the fire edge. Today, the plan is to tie into those existing lines and continue moving North creating a fuel break where possible through the timber, integrating aircraft to cool the fire edge, slowing spread and allowing firefighters and other personnel to work safely on the ground. The primary focus continues to be structure protection.

Weather & Fuel Conditions:

Afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms are likely today and Saturday, with gusty outflow winds and lightning being the primary concerns. Chances for wetting rains will likely stay under 20% through Saturday, increasing to 40 to 60% Sunday into next week.

The primary fuels in the fire area are mixed conifer with a heavy dead and down component, as well as grass and shrubs. Fire activity was moderated yesterday due to cloud cover in the morning and high relative humidity in the afternoon. However, today’s forecast is for less cloud cover and lower humidity, with potential for gusty outflow winds up to 20 mph this afternoon. These conditions would favor active fire behavior, so increased fire activity is anticipated this afternoon within the timber including flanking, backing, short uphill runs with potential for single tree and group torching, and short-range spotting.

Evacuations, Closures, and Fire Restrictions:

Mandatory evacuations are in place in the Squirrel Creek and Mill Creek drainages. For specific evacuation information, see Gunnison County Emergency Management at www.gunnisoncounty.org. You may sign up to receive emergency alerts on your phones or other devices at: https://bit.ly/3QhZVZg .

National Forest System Trail #438 - Lowline Trail is closed. County Road 730 Ohio Pass road is barricaded from Kebler Pass road to mile marker 5 at Redden Ranch. Closure updates will be posted to the GMUG Fire Information Facebook page at www.facebook.com/GMUGFireInfo . In the interest of public safety, fire officials ask visitors to be aware of fire traffic and avoid the area.

There are currently no fire restrictions in Gunnison County. Should restrictions be implemented, they will be posted at this site: https://westslopefireinfo.com/gunnison-county/ .

Wildfires are a no-fly zone for unauthorized aircraft, including drones. If you fly, we can’t.  For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.

Lowline Fire Statistics:
Size: 730 acres
Containment: 0%
Total Personnel: 133
Location: 14 mi. NNW of Gunnison, CO
Reported: 8:00 am July 26, 2023
Cause: LIghtning

For More Information:
InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/cogmf-lowline-fire
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GMUGFireInfo

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