Single Publication

Fire start date:   August 5, 2023 

Fire size today:   1,225 acres 

Containment:   0% 

Location:  13 miles Northeast of Pagosa Springs, Colorado 

Personnel:   39        

Cause:    Lightning   

Management:   Suppression 

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) 

Latest Smoke Outlook:  

https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook/933fc4e4  

INCIDENT OBJECTIVES: 

• Firefighter and Public safety will be the highest priority throughout all phases of the incident.  

• To protect private lands within East Fork San Juan River drainage, critical infrastructure including powerlines and gas utility lines, as well as natural resources, cultural and historic sites, and recreation assets. 

Fire behavior moderated yesterday thanks to cloud cover and higher relative humidity. Spot fires were discovered on the east side of Quartz Creek. Firefighters Are assessing the viability of going direct on these spot fires to maintain Quartz Creek as a holding feature. Aviation assets may be utilized to support ground firefighters in this area, along with aerial supervision as needed. The fire area in the South San Juan Wilderness is extremely steep and heavily loaded with dead timber both standing and down; this elevates the risk to firefighters and aviators. A National Incident Management Organization Team will assume command of the incident August 12th at 0600, providing additional capacity and oversight. 

YESTERDAY’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 

• Ground fire resources continued to directly monitor fire growth and directional spread. San Juan Type 3 incident Management Team (IMT) worked with local cooperators to develop long-term, strategic plans for fire suppression. 

• Fire managers developed plans for when the fire reaches terrain more favorable for engagement, including Quartz Meadow. 

TODAY’S PLAN: 

• Resources plan to assess the spot fires found on the east side of Quartz Creek. If they can safely be suppressed, this would maintain Quartz Meadow as a holding feature and keep fire on the west side of the valley. 

• Crews will perform fire mitigation for exposed sections of the Xcel Energy gas pipeline, located to the north of the fire along Forest Road 667. 

• IMT operational leadership will recon the fire area with aviation resources assigned to the fire, developing real-time situational awareness. 

• Continue to develop Management Action Points, which are clearly specified incident conditions that, when reached, prompt a predefined fire management action or trigger the implementation of new strategies/tactics. 

• Communicate with landowners, affected utilities, and county stakeholders. 

WEATHER: 

The weather trend includes increasing chances of rain showers. Lower temperatures and higher humidities are expected, as are scattered showers and thunderstorms. These storms are not expected to produce significant rain, rather gusty outflow winds and lightning are the concerns for firefighters.