Single Publication

Quartz Ridge Fire          

August 16, 2023 

Fire start date:   August 5, 2023

Cause:  Lightning

Location:  13 miles Northeast of Pagosa Springs, Colorado

Incident Commander: Jay Kurth

Management Team: NIMO Team 1

Management:  Suppression

Fire size today: 1,440 acres

Containment: 0%         

Personnel: 103

Evacuation Information:

There are no current evacuations. Local residents should follow incident information for updates.

Closures: tinyurl.com/mpt9jeds

• Quartz Meadows Rd (NFSR#685)
• Quartz Ridge Trail (NFST#570)
• Quartz Creek Trail (NFST#571)

Latest Smoke Outlook: https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke. net/outlook/933fc4e4 

INCIDENT OBJECTIVES:

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

The wildfire is burning in steep terrain in the South San Juan Wilderness.  Indirect suppression tactics are the safest approach since significant (almost 90%) tree mortality exists which creates a potential for burning and falling trees. 

A Multi-Mission Aircraft flight indicated there was no new growth to the wildfire. The southeast corner of this fire is showing a reduction in the heat, while the west and north sections are showing a slight increase of heat. The three spot fires on the northeast side of Quartz Creek are showing less and less heat and are producing minimal smoke. Over the next week we will see the fire slowly start to become a little more active and see more smoke.

YESTERDAY’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Worked along East Fork Road to reduce fuels.
• Continued to evaluate terrain and potential areas for containment outside of wilderness boundaries and scout for strategic areas for control.

TODAY’S PLAN:

• Continue to use mechanized equipment along East Fork Road to improve proposed strategic control lines.  A chipper will be used to assist with removed trees and fuel along these roads.
• Continue with suppression tactic reviews, with the objective of keeping the fire south of East Fork Road.
• Continue to improve the contingency line on the East Fork Road to the north and east of the fire.
• Crews will be hiking in on trails to start work of widening the trails and reducing fuel load.
• Continue to build structure protection plans both logistically and operationally.

WEATHER: Moisture chances will reduce throughout the week. Will see an uptick in temperatures, possibly into the mid-80s by the end of the week.  The humidity and wind levels may pick up in afternoons, but not reach red flag wind warning levels

Incident Information : https://tinyurl.com/mr37bhnr

Facebook : https://tinyurl.com/y87cycm4

Email :  2023.quartzridge@firenet.gov       

Information Line : 970-426-5370