Single Publication

FIRE UPDATE: 

Fire start date: August 5, 2023

Fire size today: 1,133 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 managers continue to develop plans for when the fire reaches terrain more favorable for engagement. Firefighters are unable to directly engage due to very steep terrain, its remote location, and firefighter risk associated with working in standing dead and down trees. Aviation assets are ineffective if ground resources are not in place to utilize water and retardant, so only an aerial supervision aircraft will be used today for planning and reconnaissance. The fire area in the South San Juan Wilderness is extremely steep and heavily loaded with dead timber both standing and down; this contributes to more intense fire behavior and elevates risk to firefighters and aviation. 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.

YESTERDAY’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Local ground fire resources continued to directly monitor fire growth and directional spread. San Juan Type 3 incident Management Team (IMT) assumed fire command, and is working with local cooperators began developing long-term, strategic plans for fire suppression.

TODAY’S PLAN:

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

• Incoming firefighting resources will be briefed on-incident and assigned operational objectives. Significant national competition for resources on higher-priority fires has led to a delay in obtaining the number and types of resources needed.

• 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:

Elevated fire weather conditions and gusty winds will be present. Through the rest of the week. The weather trend includes daily chances of rain showers during the afternoon through the end of the week.