Fire Lines Hold Again Saturday, Moisture Forecast for Today

Silverton, Colo., October 25, 2020 – Firefighters are back on South Mineral Creek Road today for a final day of patrol and clean up before moisture is expected to end the threat from the Ice Fire later today. The fire has not grown for several days. Containment is now estimated at 60% and rain and snow are expected after noon. A Type 3 Incident Management Team now running operations will return management of the fire to the Columbine Ranger District at 6 am tomorrow. Crews from out-of-area will also return home, or to other fires, Monday. “We’d like to thank the community and our partner agencies for their cooperation and help with this incident” said Incident Commander Brad Pietruszka.  Forest Service personnel and Silverton Fire and Rescue Authority will monitor the fire area throughout the fall. Small amounts of smoke may be intermittently visible until there is enough snow to smother remaining hot spots.

Yesterday crews started to install a gate across the South Mineral Creek Road near its intersection with the Clear Lake Road. Both roads will remain closed after fire crews have left. The two roads, and Ice Lakes Trail, are closed because of active hazards within the fire area. Highway 550 is open. The full area closure order and map can be found on the Forest Special Orders page.

Additional incident information can be found on the Ice Fire Inciweb page at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7251/ , the Ice Fire Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/2020IceFire or by calling the Ice Fire Public Information Officer at (970) 426-5491. After Monday, any further updates will be provided by the San Juan National Forest Public Affairs Office.

All offices on the San Juan National Forest are currently conducting business and providing services virtually. For information on the San Juan National Forest, call (970 ) 247-4874, visit the forest website, or follow us on social media (Twitter and Facebook).

There was no fire growth today and containment is now estimated at 60%. Crews have pulled equipment and are preparing for precipitation that is supposed to move in tomorrow (Sunday). The South Mineral Road #585, the Clear Lake Road #815, and the Ice Lakes Trail #505 remain closed to public entry.

No Fire Growth on Friday
Fire activity continued to be minimal Friday, with no increase in acreage, holding at 596 acres. Containment has been increased to 45%. Incident Commander Brad Pietruszka said, “We are cautiously optimistic with how the fire is holding, but we will be monitoring closely as the storm front moves in.” Storm fronts are often are predicted to bring gusty winds. Operations for Saturday will also concentrate on continued repair of fire suppression activities, including chipping of slash and erosion control on firelines.

Weather forecasts call for dry and breezy conditions Saturday with increasing chances of precipitation. Removal of supplies and materials is occurring ahead of the predicted winter weather.

Falling trees and rocks are still active hazards within the fire area. For these reasons, and to allow firefighters to work, the Ice Lakes Trail and South Mineral Road remain closed. Highway 550 and Ophir Pass are open. The San Juan National Forest area closure prohibits the public from going in, or being upon, all Forest land in the Mineral Creek watershed and all Forest lands bounded on the north by the Ophir Pass Road (NFSR 679) and south to the southern ridge above South Mineral Canyon, including Rolling Mountain, Twin Sisters, and Bear Mountain. The full area closure order and map can be found on the Forest Special Orders page.

Wildfire smoke may affect your health. For more information, please go to: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health  

Fire danger remains very high and Stage 1 fire restrictions are in place on the San Juan National Forest (order). Visitors are encouraged to practice extreme caution and be careful with anything that might start a fire.

Additional incident information can be found on the Ice Fire Inciweb page at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7251/ , the Ice Fire Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/2020IceFire or by calling the Ice Fire Public Information Officer at (970) 426-5491.

All offices on the San Juan National Forest are currently conducting business and providing services virtually. For information on the San Juan National Forest, call (970 ) 247-4874, visit the forest website, or follow us on social media (Twitter and Facebook).

Despite strong winds, fire activity was minimal Thursday. The most visible smoke was produced from burning of small islands of trees in the interior of the fire. Fire acreage is mapped at 596 acres with 30% containment.  Planning Operations Chief Ian Barrett said, “We had a few nervous moments but it was a small-growth day, even with the wind.” The fire was contained on the northeast side by avalanche chutes and rock formations. Crews continued thinning vegetation along the north side of the South Mineral Creek Road in case the fire should move toward the road. That work will continue today and firefighters will look for and extinguish any hot spots near the fire’s edges.

Weather forecasts through Saturday predict continued dry windy conditions. However, the prediction for an incoming storm front has been moved up to Saturday evening. Damaged trees are falling in the fire area and rocks loosened by the fire are also coming down. The Ice Lakes Trail remains closed but Highway 550 is open.

The San Juan National Forest area closure prohibits the public from going in, or being upon, all Forest land in the Mineral Creek watershed and all Forest lands bounded on the north by the Ophir Pass Road (NFSR 679) and south to the southern ridge above South Mineral Canyon, including Rolling Mountain, Twin Sisters, and Bear Mountain. The full area closure order and map can be found on the Forest Special Orders page. The Ophir Pass Road remains open, but lands to the south of it are closed.

Wildfire smoke may affect your health. For more information, please go to: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health  

Fire danger remains very high and Stage 1 fire restrictions are in place on the San Juan National Forest (order). Visitors are encouraged to practice extreme caution and be careful with anything that might start a fire.

Additional incident information can be found on the Ice Fire Inciweb page at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7251/ , the Ice Fire Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/2020IceFire or by calling the Ice Fire Public Information Officer at (970) 426-5491.

All offices on the San Juan National Forest are currently conducting business and providing services virtually. For information on the San Juan National Forest, call (970 ) 247-4874, visit the forest website, or follow us on social media (Twitter and Facebook).

Silverton, Colorado, 22 de octubre de 2020 - El Servicio Meteorológico Nacional ha emitido una advertencia de clima de incendio de "Bandera Roja" para partes del suroeste de Colorado desde el mediodía hasta las 6:00 p.m. hoy, incluida la zona del Fuego de Hielo. La advertencia significa que estarán presentes las condiciones climáticas que promueven el rápido crecimiento del fuego. Aunque la humedad está en el pronóstico a partir del domingo, el comandante del incidente Brad Pietruszka recordó a los bomberos esta mañana que "va a haber mucho viento en el fuego antes de la nieve". Los bomberos hoy estarán atentos a cualquier crecimiento de fuego fuera de las líneas de fuego y preparando planes para hacer frente a cualquier nueva actividad de fuego. También utilizarán helicópteros, ya que las condiciones permiten dejar caer agua en los puntos calientes y ralentizar cualquier incendio que amenace las líneas de fuego. El fuego está contenido en un 25%, 583 acres y hay alrededor de 100 empleados asignados. La causa permanece bajo investigación.
 

Está vigente un cierre de área forestal para el área del incendio en el Bosque Nacional San Juan. Entrar o estar en todas las tierras de NFS en la cuenca de Mineral Creek y todas las tierras de NFS limitadas al norte por la carretera Ophir Pass (NFSR 679) al sur hasta la cresta sur sobre South Mineral Canyon, incluidas Rolling Mountain, Twin Sisters y Bear Mountain , y la autopista US 550 al este hasta el límite forestal con Uncompahgre NF al oeste, está prohibida. La orden de cierre del área completa y el mapa se pueden encontrar en la página de Órdenes Especiales Forestales.
 

El humo del incendio será visible en la autopista 550, Silverton, Durango y otras áreas y comunidades circundantes. El humo de los incendios forestales puede afectar su salud. Para obtener más información, visite: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health

El peligro de incendio sigue siendo muy alto y las restricciones de incendio de la Etapa 1 están vigentes en el Bosque Nacional San Juan (orden). Se anima a los visitantes a extremar las precauciones y tener cuidado con cualquier cosa que pueda provocar un incendio.
 

Se puede encontrar información adicional sobre el incidente en la página de Ice Fire  en https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7251/, la página de Facebook de Ice Fire http://www.facebook.com/2020IceFire o llamando al Ice Fire Oficial de información pública al (970) 426-5491.
 

Todas las oficinas en el Bosque Nacional de San Juan están realizando negocios y prestando servicios virtualmente. Para obtener información sobre el Bosque Nacional San Juan, llame al (970) 247-4874, visite el sitio web del bosque o síganos en las redes sociales (Twitter y Facebook).

-USDA-

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Silverton, Colo., October 22, 2020 – The National Weather Service has issued a “Red Flag” fire weather warning for parts of Southwestern Colorado from noon until 6:00 p.m. today, including the area of the Ice Fire. The warning means the weather conditions that promote rapid fire growth will be present. Although moisture is in the forecast starting Sunday, Incident Commander Brad Pietruszka reminded firefighters this morning “there’s going to be a lot of wind on the fire before the snow.” Firefighters today will be watching for any fire growth outside the fire lines and preparing plans to deal with any new fire activity. They will also be using helicopters as conditions allow to drop water on hot spots and slow any fire that threatens the fire lines. The fire is 25% contained, 583 acres and there are about 100 personnel assigned. The cause remains under investigation.

A forest area closure is in effect for the area of the fire on the San Juan National Forest. Going in or being upon all NFS land in the Mineral Creek watershed and all NFS lands bounded in the north by the Ophir Pass road (NFSR 679) south to the Southern ridge above South Mineral Canyon, including Rolling Mountain, Twin Sisters, and Bear Mountain, and US Highway 550 on the east to the Forest Boundary with the Uncompahgre NF on the west, is prohibited. The full area closure order and map can be found on the Forest Special Orders page.

Smoke from the fire will be visible on Highway 550, Silverton, Durango, and other surrounding areas and communities.  Wildfire smoke may affect your health. For more information, please go to: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health  

Fire danger remains very high and Stage 1 fire restrictions are in place on the San Juan National Forest (order). Visitors are encouraged to practice extreme caution and be careful with anything that might start a fire.

Additional incident information can be found on the Ice Fire Inciweb page at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7251/ , the Ice Fire Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/2020IceFire or by calling the Ice Fire Public Information Officer at (970) 426-5491.

All offices on the San Juan National Forest are currently conducting business and providing services virtually. For information on the San Juan National Forest, call (970 ) 247-4874, visit the forest website, or follow us on social media (Twitter and Facebook).

-USDA-

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Silverton, Colorado, 21 de octubre de 2020 - Los bomberos planean "ir directamente" a lo largo de una parte del borde del incendio hoy para tratar de obtener un mayor control del Ice Fire. "Ir directo" significa extinguir el fuego en su borde activo, en lugar de esperar a que alcance una función de control establecida como una carretera. Sin embargo, otras partes del incendio se encuentran en terrenos escarpados y difíciles y las cuadrillas planean usar helicópteros que arrojen agua para frenar la propagación del fuego en esas áreas. Uno de los objetivos es evitar que se propague hacia la autopista US 550. El tamaño del incendio se estimó anoche en 508 acres y está contenido en un 15%. El incendio está en el drenaje de South Mineral Creek, a unas cinco millas al oeste de Silverton. La causa del incendio se desconoce y se está investigando.

Esta noche se presentará una reunión de la comunidad virtual sobre el fuego a través de la conferencia Zoom.

El correo electronico de Zoom es: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88637487127 y el número de acceso telefónico es: 669-900-6833 La identificación del seminario web es: 886 3748 7127.

Está vigente un cierre de área forestal para el área del incendio en el Bosque Nacional San Juan. Entrar o estar en todas las tierras de NFS en la cuenca de Mineral Creek y todas las tierras de NFS limitadas al norte por la carretera Ophir Pass (NFSR 679) al sur hasta la cresta sur sobre South Mineral Canyon, incluidas Rolling Mountain, Twin Sisters y Bear Mountain , y la autopista US 550 al este hasta el límite forestal con Uncompahgre NF al oeste, está prohibida. La orden de cierre del área completa y el mapa se pueden encontrar en la página de Órdenes Especiales Forestales.

El humo del incendio será visible en la autopista 550, Silverton, Durango y otras áreas y comunidades al rededor. El humo de los incendios forestales puede afectar su salud. Para obtener más información, visite: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health

El peligro de incendio sigue siendo muy alto y las restricciones de incendio de la Etapa 1 están vigentes en el Bosque Nacional San Juan (orden). Se anima a los visitantes a extremar las precauciones y tener cuidado con cualquier cosa que pueda provocar un incendio.

Se puede encontrar información adicional sobre el incidente en la página de Ice Fire  en https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7251/, la página de Facebook de Ice Fire http://www.facebook.com/2020IceFire o llamando al Ice Fire Oficial de información pública al (970) 426-5491.

Todas las oficinas en el Bosque Nacional de San Juan están realizando y prestando servicios virtualmente. Para obtener información sobre el Bosque Nacional San Juan, llame al (970) 247-4874, visite el sitio web del bosque o síganos en las redes sociales (Twitter y Facebook).

-USDA-

El USDA es un proveedor, empleador y prestamista que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades.

Silverton, Colo., October 21, 2020 – Firefighters plan to “go direct” along a portion of the fire’s edge today to try and gain further control of the Ice Fire. “Going direct” means extinguishing the fire at its active edge, rather than waiting for it to reach an established control feature like a road. However other parts of the fire are in steep, difficult terrain and crews plan to use helicopters dropping water, to slow the fire’s spread in those areas. One objective is to keep it from spreading toward US Highway 550 and another is to keep it north of the South Fork Mineral Creek Road. The fire’s size was estimated at 508 acres last night and is 15% contained. The fire is in the South Mineral Creek drainage, about five miles west of Silverton. The cause of the fire is unknown and under investigation.

A virtual community meeting on the fire will be presented tonight at 6:00 p.m. via Zoom conference.

The Zoom link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88637487127 and the dial-in # is: 669-900-6833. The Webinar ID is: 886 3748 7127.

A forest area closure is in effect for the area of the fire on the San Juan National Forest. Going in or being upon all NFS land in the Mineral Creek watershed and all NFS lands bounded in the north by the Ophir Pass road (NFSR 679) south to the Southern ridge above South Mineral Canyon, including Rolling Mountain, Twin Sisters, and Bear Mountain, and US Highway 550 on the east to the Forest Boundary with the Uncompahgre NF on the west, is prohibited. The full area closure order and map can be found on the Forest Special Orders page.

Smoke from the fire will be visible on Highway 550, Silverton, Durango, and other surrounding areas and communities.  Wildfire smoke may affect your health. For more information, please go to: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health  

Fire danger remains very high and Stage 1 fire restrictions are in place on the San Juan National Forest (order). Visitors are encouraged to practice extreme caution and be careful with anything that might start a fire.

Additional incident information can be found on the Ice Fire Inciweb page at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7251/ , the Ice Fire Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/2020IceFire or by calling the Ice Fire Public Information Officer at (970) 426-5491.

All offices on the San Juan National Forest are currently conducting business and providing services virtually. For information on the San Juan National Forest, call (970 ) 247-4874, visit the forest website, or follow us on social media (Twitter and Facebook).

-USDA-

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Silverton, Colo., October 20, 2020 – Fire crews and helicopters dropping buckets of water made good progress on the Ice Fire today and the fire is now 15% contained and 508 acres in size. The fire is burning in steep terrain in the South Mineral Creek drainage, about five miles west of Silverton. The cause of the fire is unknown and under investigation. Firefighters are working to prevent the fire from spreading toward US Highway 550. “We had less wind today and because of the work put in both on the ground and by the helicopters, we’re in a much better position tonight than we were 24 hours ago” says Incident Commander Brad Pietruszka. 100 personnel are currently assigned. If conditions permit, firefighters will directly engage a portion of the fire’s edge on Wednesday, north of the South Mineral Creek Campground. They are also planning to “burn out” small areas to further secure the perimeter and stop the fire’s spread.

To keep the public safe and provide for safe fire operations, a forest area closure is in effect for the area of the fire on the San Juan National Forest. Going in or being upon all NFS land in the Mineral Creek watershed and all NFS lands bounded in the north by the Ophir Pass road (NFSR 679) south to the Southern ridge above South Mineral Canyon, including Rolling Mountain, Twin Sisters, and Bear Mountain, and US Highway 550 on the east to the Forest Boundary with the Uncompahgre NF on the west. The full area closure order and map can be found on the Forest Special Orders page.

Please do not stop to watch aircraft and firefighting activities as this poses a hazard for fellow travelers. Smoke from the fire will be visible on Highway 550, Silverton, Durango, and other surrounding areas and communities.  Road signs are posted alerting any travelers of smoke and firefighting personnel and equipment in the area. Wildfire smoke may affect your health. For more information, please go to: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/wood-smoke-and-health  

Fire danger remains very high and Stage 1 fire restrictions are in place on the San Juan National Forest (order). Visitors are encouraged to practice extreme caution and be careful with anything that might start a fire.

Additional incident information can be found on the Ice Fire Inciweb page at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7251/ , the Ice Fire Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/2020IceFire or by calling the Ice Fire Public Information Officer at (970) 426-5491.

All offices on the San Juan National Forest are currently conducting business and providing services virtually. For information on the San Juan National Forest, call (970 ) 247-4874, visit the forest website, or follow us on social media (Twitter and Facebook).

-USDA-

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

USDA FOREST SERVICE
SAN JUAN NATIONAL FOREST
Columbine Ranger District
Fire Area Closure

Pursuant to 16 United States Code (U.S.C.) 551 and 36 Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) § 261.50(a) and (b), the following acts are prohibited on National Forest System lands on the Columbine Ranger District of the San Juan National Forest, San Juan County, State of Colorado as of October 20, 2020. The closure pursuant to this Order (the “Restricted Area”) as depicted on the attached map, hereby incorporated into this Order as Exhibit A.
This Order is necessary to protect public health and safety and provide for firefighter safety during fire operations associated with the Nebo wildfire.

PROHIBITIONS:
1) Going in or being upon all NFS land in the Mineral Creek watershed and all NFS lands bounded in the north by the Ophir Pass road (NFSR 679) south to the Southern ridge above South Mineral Canyon, including Rolling Mountain, Twin Sisters, and Bear Mountain, and US Highway 550 on the east to the Forest Boundary with the Uncompahgre NF on the west. 36 C.F.R. § 261.58(e)
T41 N R8 W Sections:3-11, 14-23, 27-32
T41 N R9 W Sections: 13, 14, 23-36, 35, 36
T42 N R8 W Sections: 31-34

EXEMPTIONS:
Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(e), the following persons are exempt from this Order:
1) Persons with a Forest Service permit specifically authorizing the otherwise prohibited act or omission.
2) Any Federal, State or local law enforcement officer, or member of an organized rescue or firefighting force engaged in the performance of an official duty.
This Order shall remain in effect until December 31, 2020, or until rescinded, whichever occurs first.

Done at Durango, Colorado, this 20 day of October 2020.
KARA L. CHADWICK Forest Supervisor