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 Notice: Members of the community, concerned citizens, government leaders and the media are invited to attend the Lowline Fire Public Information Meeting in Gunnison tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m. at the Gunnison Public Library, located at 1 Quartz Street. Fire managers and other agency representatives will be present to answer questions afterwards. If you are unable to attend in person, the meeting will be aired live on the GMUG Fire Facebook page (www.facebook.com/GMUGFireInfo). A recording of the meeting will be posted after the live session.

Current Situation: The Lowline Fire continued to burn actively today, making short runs and single tree torching in areas of heavy timber, bug kill, and dead and downed trees. The fire is currently 1427 acres and 21% contained. Firefighters took advantage of the opportunity to continue burnout operations earlier in the day ahead of a weather front that’s forecasted to bring rain, cooler temperatures and higher humidities.

In Division A, burnout operations continued using hand crews and aerial ignitions to meet fuel reduction objectives. Firefighters continued work on indirect and direct firelines. Structure protection crews scouted and assessed structures within the Division.

Firefighters in Division Z were able to conduct some burnout operations and worked their way west to the National Forest boundary.

In Division Y, the engine crew continued to secure existing fireline and managed to conduct additional burnout operations.

A crew in Division W worked on holding the fireline by patrolling and mopping up. In addition they conducted a small burnout operation.

Weather & Fuel Conditions: Tomorrow will be cloudy with periods of rain and possible thunderstorms. Temperatures will decrease to the low to mid-70s. These conditions will continue into Wednesday with a potential to bring up to a quarter inch of rain over the course of the day.

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 .

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 . 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/ .

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: 1427 acres
Containment: 21%
Total Personnel: 419
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