Single Publication

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: 1,475 acres

Containment: 0%         

Personnel: 137

Evacuation Information:

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

Closures:

• Quartz Meadows Rd (NFSR#685)
• Quartz Ridge Trail (NFST#570)
• Quartz Creek Trail (NFST#571)
• https://tinyurl.com/roads-and-trails

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 being utilized as the preferred and safest approach since significant (almost 90%) tree mortality exists, creating a high potential for burning snags and falling trees. 

A Multi-Mission Aircraft flight indicated there was still some hot spots on the eastern side of the Quartz Ridge Fire, but overall the fire is fairly cool. Fire behavior is predicted to be minimal over the next few days. Potentially by the weekend we will see the fire slowly start to become a little more active and see more smoke as the weather warms and dries.

YESTERDAY’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Brushing of the East Fork Road was completed.
• Continued to evaluate terrain and potential areas for containment outside of wilderness boundaries and scout for strategic areas for control.

TODAY’S PLAN:

• Chipping of the slash along the East Fork Road.
• Orient the San Juan hotshots as they transition to the fire.
• Scout the eastern edge of the fire and look for opportunities for direct fireline construction.
• Crews will be hiking in on the trails to work on widening the trails and reducing fuel loading..
• Continue to build structure protection plans both logistically and operationally.

WEATHER:

Monsoonal moisture is likely in the afternoons. Temperatures will continue to rise for the next several days, 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