Single Publication

Interlaken Fire Update
June 13, 2024 at 1200 p.m.

Type 3 Incident Management Team
John Markalunas, Incident Commander

Location: 7 miles S-SW of Leadville, Colorado Date Reported: June 11, 2024 at 2:01pm Cause: Human caused
Size: 443 acres Containment: 0% Total Personnel: 140

Current Situation: As of yesterday, the Interlaken Fire is being managed by a Type 3 Incident Management Team
(IMT). This team brings a leadership structure and personnel to manage all aspects of the fire including operations, logistics, public information, and other needs. More resources will continue to arrive in the coming days.

Yesterday, aircraft made multiple drops of both water and retardant to check the spread of the fire, and firefighters worked to establish anchor points and engage the fire directly where possible. Operations staff state that yesterday was “a beneficial day of establishing the tactics that will set us up for successful operations in the coming days.” Last night, the Interlaken Fire was active until approximately 1am, mostly burning through understory. There does not appear to have been significant growth, however, new acreage will be assessed soon. Yesterday, on the north end of the fire, crews worked from the Interlaken Historical Site area southeast toward the Continental Divide Trail, building direct line at the fire’s edge. Today, they are scouting for options for fireline in the more difficult terrain where the fire extends uphill and to the ridge. On the south side of the fire, crews are building direct fireline, extending to the southeast. On the southeast side of the fire, firefighters are gathering intel on locations of structures. Helicopters are supporting ground operations with water drops on the northwest corner and the south edge of the fire.
 

Weather & Smoke Information: Today, June 13, the fire area will be generally warm and dry with max temperature of 77F and humidity falling below 15%. Winds from the west today, 3-12 mph with gusts to 18 mph. There is a small chance of afternoon convective cloudiness over the mountains, which could produce some very brief periods of gusty and erratic winds. Overnight, moisture will increase, with potential for some weak showers overnight, mostly to the north of the fire location. Friday could bring showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon, bringing gusty and erratic winds, but also higher humidity, increasing chance for rainfall. Visit https://www.airnow.gov/wildfires/ for resources on smoke.
 

Closures: Be aware that several trail, lot, and road closures are in place: Interlaken trailhead and parking area, Willis Gulch trail, Willis Stump Trail, Sheep Gulch trail, Colorado Trail and Continental Divide National Scenic Trail segments in the Twin Lakes Area (from Clear Creek Road to State Route 82), Red Rooster day use area, Moache day use area, Dexter Point day use area and Campground, Deception Point day use, Forest Service Road 399, Forest Service Road 398 and dispersed camping around the lake. The surface area of Twin Lakes is closed. Dexter Point day use area is closed.
 

Evacuations: Pre-evacuation notices are in place for the Lost Canyon (CR 30), and Chafee County areas north of CR 390 to the county line (Cache Creek, Clear Creek.) To sign up for emergency alerts in Lake County,
visit: https://member.everbridge.net/892807736726383/login and in Chaffee County,
https://member.everbridge.net/892807736725694/login
 

Temporary Flight Restrictions: There is a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over the fire area. If you FLY, we
CAN’T. Do not fly or operate drones in this area, as it will impede firefighting efforts and ground our aircraft.
 

Interlaken Fire INFORMATION
Fire Information Phoneline: 719-301-4284 (Time: 7am-7pm) Email: 2024.interlaken@firenet.gov
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560818226034 (“Interlaken Fire Information”)
InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/copsf-interlaken-fire