Single Publication

Fire start date:   August 1, 2023

Fire size today:   143 acres

Containment:   0%

Location:  23 miles Northwest of Pagosa Springs, Colorado          

Personnel:  24     

Cause:  Lightning

Management:  Suppression

Evacuation Information: 

There are NO pre-evac/evacuation orders at this time. Local residents should follow incident information and updates.

Closures:

Little Sand Trail (NFST#591) from Mosca Road

Shaw Creek Trail (NFST#584)

Falls Creek Trail (NFST#673)

Latest Smoke Outlook:

https://fire.airnow.gov/?aqi_v=2&m_ids=&pa_ids=#

INCIDENT OBJECTIVES:

• Safety of Firefighters and the public will be the highest priority throughout all phases of the incident.
• Managing hazards to fire fighters and the public by utilizing a risk-based approach to decision making on a continual basis.

Utilize appropriate fire strategies to minimize fire impacts to critical community infrastructure, private lands and improvements to reduce the potential for adverse health, social, financial, and economic hardships. These include:

•      Private lands and infrastructure within the Weminuche Creek River drainages

•      Utilities serving these communities

•      Smoke impacts to local communities and US Highway 160

•      Natural resources, cultural, historic sites, and recreationists.

YESTERDAY’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Local ground fire resources continued to directly monitor fire growth and directional spread. Advised leadership of potential impacts to values at risk within the general fire area.
• Continue to gain situational awareness and develop operational objectives for future firefighting operations when ordered fire resources arrive.
• Infrared, heat-detection equipped aircraft flew the fire and provided fire leadership accurate fire size and presence of spot fires (if any).

TODAY’S PLAN:

• San Juan Type 3 incident Management Team (IMT) assumed fire command at 6am today, August 8th.
• IMT operational leadership will recon the fire area with aviation resources assigned to the fire, developing real-time situational awareness.
• Firefighting crews in the Weminuche Valley area will assess risk level to private land/structures and develop structure protection plans for future operational shifts.
• Incoming firefighting resources will be briefed and assigned operational assignments. Significant national competition for resources on higher-priority fires has led to difficulty in obtaining the number/types of resources needed.
• A National Incident Management Organization Team has been ordered to assume command of the incident August 12th at 0600, providing additional capacity and oversight to the incident.

WEATHER:

Elevated fire weather conditions and gusty winds will be present, with increasing chances of rainfall this afternoon. The weather trend includes daily chances of rain showers during the afternoon through the end of the week.