Single Publication

Interlaken Fire Update

June 16, 2024, at 8:00 a.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: 592 acres     Containment: 45%     Total Personnel: 256

Current Situation: A community meeting yesterday was well attended and very informative. The meeting video can be viewed on Interlaken Fire Facebook page. Yesterday, firefighters had a very productive day on the fireline, due to lower fire intensity within the fire perimeter. Most fire activity was interior where fire was moving through an unburned island with dead trees – this is why some increased smoke was visible in the afternoon. Helicopters flew cargo “sling loads” containing water pumps and hoses to the fire line, allowing firefighters to establish hose lays along the fire perimeter on the west (DIV Z) and north (DIV A) of the fire. Easier access to water assisted firefighters to establish depth along the fire perimeter by extinguishing heat. On the south-southeast part of the fire (DIV D) fire resources worked together to secure the perimeter by constructing handline, utilizing water to extinguish any heat near the fire perimeter. This significant progress increased containment to 45% on the west and northern end of the fire. Pre-evacuation orders were lifted yesterday at 7PM, due to the hard work from firefighters and collaboration from cooperators for logistical and watercraft support from Lake County Search & Rescue.

Today, firefighters will continue to use hose lays to extinguish any heat near the fire perimeter to secure the fire. Crews will look for possible remaining smoldering heat outside of the perimeter by using a gridding method where squads of firefighter’s lineout and walk outside the fire perimeter. Firefighters will start chainsaw operations to remove hazard trees along trail systems in the burn area for future public safety, while attempting to maintain aesthetics especially near aquatic area. 

A note on smoke: Impacts continue to be minimal near the Interlaken Fire. Light to moderate concentrations of smoke may linger in lower terrain in areas near Twin Lakes, particularly during the overnight and early morning hours. (https://www.colorado.gov/airquality/colo_smoke.aspx) Visit https://www.airnow.gov/wildfires/ for resources on smoke.

Weather: Sunny today, max temps 75F with humidity 8-13%. Winds will pick up again in the afternoon 12-16 mph from the southwest. Critical fire weather conditions will persist across the area through Monday. 

Closures: Be aware that several trail, lot, and road closures are in place. As of 6-14-24, there is an official order from the Forest Service. Refer to the PSICC website and check under FIRE RESTRICTIONS AND FOREST ORDERS on the main page. See closure map here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1181393.pdf, and closure order here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1181392.pdf

Evacuations: All pre-evacuation notices were lifted on June 16, 2024, at 7PM.  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