Single Publication

Type 3 Incident Management Team, 

Nick Ostrom, Incident Commander 

Location: 7 miles S-SW of Leadville, Colorado          

Date Reported: June 11, 2024, at 2:01pm    

Cause: Human caused

Size: 739 acres                                                                    

Containment: 86%                                            

Total Personnel: 237

Current Situation: As a reminder all highways, towns, and a majority of businesses near the fire area are open for business. For public safety, a closure is in place on certain trails and roads in the fire area (see closure section below) to allow firefighters to suppress the fire and remove hazard trees near trails and roads. Yesterday was another successful day on the fireline. Fire behavior is minimal along the fire perimeter on the east, west, and south portions of the fire. Portions of the interior have moderate fire behavior as fire creeps along the forest floor and smolders in high concentrates of ground vegetation and pine needle litter. Occasional single tree torching has been observed on the northern perimeter (DIV A) when hotter and windy conditions persist. Fire continues to back downhill towards the lake shore producing consistent smoke in that area. A fire module remains working near the historical structures to cool pockets of burning vegetation within the fire perimeter. Firefighters continue to secure the south end (DIV D) of the fire by cooling areas of heat with water and hand tools to increase the containment depth from the perimeter. 

Today, firefighters will continue to secure the fireline by locating pockets of heat and using hand tools and water to cool hot areas and expand depth of containment lines. Chainsaw operations will continue to remove hazardous trees along trails and the 399-road system to make the area safe for future recreational use. Aircraft are being utilized to support firefighters on the ground with transporting water, cargo, and for recon operations. Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) (drones) will be used for reconnaissance and infra-red data. These drones are assigned to the fire and operated by certified pilot firefighters. There is a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over the fire area. If you FLY, we CAN’T. Do not fly or operate your own drones in this area, as it will impede firefighting efforts and ground our aircraft. 

There may be a reduction in fire resources as the Interlaken fire threat diminishes allowing resources to assist with wildfires in other part of the U.S. 

Smoke: Air quality in surrounding areas and the Hwy 82 corridor has improved with low to moderate fire behavior. Air quality monitors are reporting green on the index scale during the day and moderate during evening/early morning hours. https://www.colorado.gov/airquality/colo_smoke.aspx) Visit https://www.airnow.gov/wildfires/ for resources on smoke.

Weather: Dry and windy conditions continue. Sunny today, max temps 68F with humidity 13-18%. Winds will pick up again in the afternoon 14 mph from the southwest. 

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

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