Single Publication

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 Note: Due to increasing containment and decreasing fire activity, tonight will be the final evening update unless fire conditions change. The daily 9:00 a.m. morning updates will continue, and brief updates will be posted throughout the day on Facebook and InciWeb as new information becomes available.   

Current Situation: Firefighters were successful in increasing containment to 55% today. Firefighters’ activities remained largely unchanged from the past several days. On the northwestern and northern perimeters, crews worked to build contingency lines and strengthen existing firelines. On the southwestern and southern perimeters, firelines were patrolled and mopped up. Firing operations did not occur and are not planned for tomorrow. Firefighters observed the fire consuming fuels near the line at low intensities, equivalent to the desired effect of a burning operation. Patrolling will continue with additional actions taken if necessary.

Tomorrow, firefighters will have heightened awareness of weather conditions as gusty winds close to 30 mph are expected in the afternoon. On Sunday, strong winds, possibly above 30 mph, low humidities, and warm temperatures are forecasted. These conditions meet the requirements for a Fire Weather Watch to be issued. 

Division A/Z: Divisions A and Z are both contained and were combined into one Division at the end of today. Fireline patrols and mop up continued. Patrols will continue tomorrow, although many of the resources that have been working in this area will support work in other divisions, be released to travel to their home unit, or be assigned to a different fire.    

Division Y: Crews built on to previous days’ progress, further securing and patrolling firelines.      

Division X: This remote division was unstaffed again today. Fire managers met to evaluate suppression strategies and will implement a plan of work in coming days.

Division W: Snags and other fuels posing a hazard to firelines were reduced. Contingency lines were strengthened and monitoring and patrolling occurred across the division.   

Structure Protection: Structure protection crews are working on structures east and north of the fire and will continue assessments tomorrow. 

Weather & Fuel Conditions:

Fire activity may pick up and be more visible due to drier fuels being more susceptible to ignition and spread.  Tomorrow, similar conditions are predicted with temperatures in the mid-70s, humidity close to 30%, and winds at 5-10 mph with increased winds gusts up to 30 mph.  

Evacuations, Closures, and Fire Restrictions:

A pre-evacuation order is in effect for CR 727, Mill Creek. No other evacuations or pre-evacuations are in place near the fire.  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 .

An area, road, and trail closure has been implemented on National Forest System lands near the fire area. For specifics see this link: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1126172.pdf . BLM has implemented a temporary closure  in the fire vicinity. For details see this link: www.blm.gov/programs/public-safety-and-fire/fire-and-aviation/regional-information/colorado/southwest-district . Some County Roads in the fire vicinity are barricaded. 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/ .

Daily Smoke Outlook reports can be found at this link: https://outlooks.airfire.org/outlook/ed63b240 .

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: 1776 acres
Containment: 55%
Total Personnel: 361
Location: 14 mi. NNW of Gunnison, CO
Reported: 8:00 am July 26, 2023
Cause: lightning

For More Information:
Information Phone: 970-648-4470 (public), 970-765-7123 (media)
Email: 2023.lowline@firenet.gov
InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/cogmf-lowline-fire
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GMUGFireInfo