Single Publication

Bear Creek Fire              

August 18, 2023

Bear Creek Fire start date:  August 1, 2023

Mosca Fire start date: August 7, 2023

Location:  23 miles Northwest of Pagosa Springs, Colorado

Cause:  Lightning

Incident Commander: Jay Kurth

Management Team: NIMO Team 1

Management:  Suppression

Fire size today:  Bear Creek: 415 acres     Mosca: 8 acres

Containment:  Bear Creek: 0%     Mosca: 100%

Personnel:  Bear Creek: 83     Mosca: 27

Evacuation Information: Weminuche Valley is under pre-evacuation notice. Local residents should follow incident information and updates.

Closures:

• Cloman Park in Pagosa Springs
• https://tinyurl.com/trails-and-roads

Latest Smoke Outlook:

outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook/933fc4e4 

INCIDENT OBJECTIVES:

• Firefighter and Public safety are the highest priority.
• Protect private lands within the Weminuche Creek drainage, natural resources, cultural and historic sites, recreation assets and critical infrastructure including powerlines and gas utility lines.

A Multi-Mission Aircraft flight to obtain updated acreage for the Bear Creek and Mosca wildfires was completed Thursday morning. Mosca showed no pockets of heat. The northern edges of the Bear Creek Fire still have some heat but overall, there is a low potential for spread outside the current footprint of the fire.

Bear Creek Wildfire: Firefighters have been unable to directly engage the fire due to the steep remote terrain and heavy fuel loading of dead standing and down trees. The clearing of vegetation along the Weminuche Trail and mastication of vegetation along the Mosca Road continued.

Mosca Wildfire: 100% containment was achieved on Thursday.

YESTERDAY’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Pike hotshots completed mopping up the Mosca Fire.
• Fire managers continued to use two masticators on the Mosca Road to the south of the fire to reduce fuels and to create a contingency line.
• Crews in the Weminuche Valley area developed and implemented structure protection plans.
• Continued to prep along the Weminuche Trail located above the north edge of the private land all the way to Poison Park and to the Wilderness boundary.
• Ground truthing potential indirect fireline locations along the surrounding creeks and trails; developing plans in the event they are needed.

TODAY’S PLAN:

• Continue fuels mitigation along the Mosca Road corridor with masticators.
• Continue to widen the fuel break along the Weminuche Trail by reducing the density of vegetation.
• Operational supervisors will continue scouting indirect control opportunities to the south along the Mosca Road, connecting that into the Weminuche Valley.
• Pike hotshots on the Mosca Fire will depart from the incident with the assistance of a helicopter.

WEATHER:

Friday will be partly cloudy with scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening. Temperatures could reach into the low 80’s. Winds will be mild in the morning but transition to gusty near thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Incident Information: https://tinyurl.com/mrx4pp27

Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/mr2tpj69

Email :  2023.bearcreek@firenet.gov      

Information Line : 970-426-5370