YMCA Fire Update
July 11, 2020 7:00 p.m.
Bureau of Land Management
Front Range Fire and Aviation Management Unit Scott Nilson, Incident Commander

Firefighters’ efforts yielding results on YMCA Fire; 60% contained

Current Situation: Firefighters continued making progress on containing the 293-acre YMCA Fire near Canon City, CO. By Saturday afternoon, the fire was 60% contained and remained at 293 acres. Despite hot and dry conditions over the fire today, fire behavior was minimal. Afternoon winds tested containment lines constructed by crews over the past couple of days and the lines held. One Type 1 helicopter was assigned to the fire today, but due to the downturn in fire activity, no bucket drops were necessary. 

Although containment increased again today, smoke may be visible from Canon City and neighboring areas. Interior fuels and portions of the inaccessible north edge of the fire are expected to continue burning in the coming days and may produce smoke as temperatures rise into the afternoon.

As containment grows, the Type 3 team managing the fire will consider what resources will be necessary to continue work on the YMCA Fire. In the coming days, some crews will be made available for other assignments or returned to their home units to prepare for future fires in the region. 

Weather: Temperatures are expected to be in the low-to-mid 60s overnight with minimum humidity expected to be as high as 58%. Winds will be out of the east until 10 p.m then light for the rest of the night. 

Fire Restrictions: Fire restrictions are in place on Bureau of Land Management-Royal Gorge Field Office lands, US Forest Service-Pike San Isabel National Forest, and Fremont County. 

Temporary Flight Restrictions: A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place over the YMCA Fire. Wildfires are a No Drone Zone. If you fly, we can’t. Every time a drone is spotted near the fire all aircraft are grounded until we can be sure the drone is clear of the area. For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.

YMCA Fire Contact Information:
Fire Information Office: (719) 315-0690
Email: 2020.ymca@firenet.gov
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6836/
Facebook:  facebook.com/YMCAFireCO
Twitter: twitter.com/YMCAFireCO

YMCA Fire Statistics:
Reported: July 8, 3:37 p.m.
Location: 4 miles SW of Cañon City, CO
Size:  Approximately 293 acres
Personnel: 139
Percent Contained: 60%
Cause:  Lightning 

YMCA Fire Update
July 11, 2020 10:30 a.m.
Bureau of Land Management
Front Range Fire and Aviation Management Unit Scott Nilson, Incident Commander

YMCA Fire Remains 293 acres, containment increases on Friday

Current Situation: On Friday, containment on the YMCA Fire increased to 40% while the fire did not increase in size, remaining at 293 acres. Much of the smoke produced on Friday was from fuels burning within the interior of the fire or in areas that were inaccessible to ground crews. Five hand crews spent Friday constructing control line in places along the fire’s edge that were accessible. The fire became a bit more active in the afternoon and one K-Max helicopter made bucket drops to cool off hot spots that were inaccessible by ground crews, primarily on the north side of YMCA Mountain. Air tankers were not utilized on Friday.

On Saturday, firefighters will continue with the same plan that has yielded results over the past few days. Crews will mop up, improve, and patrol established lines as well as continue line construction in areas that are accessible. Helicopters will be used for bucket drops on areas that ground resources cannot access. Crews will also address interior hot spots that continue smoking in the afternoons with support from the helicopter, as needed. Air tankers are available, if needed. 

Although containment increased yesterday, smoke and possibly flames will continue to be visible from Canon City and neighboring areas. Interior fuels and portions of the inaccessible north edge of the fire are expected to continue burning and may produce smoke as temperatures rise into the afternoon. 
Weather: On Saturday, temperatures will be slightly cooler with high temperatures in the 88-93 range and minimum humidity will remain at 10-15% throughout the day. Winds will be light in the morning with those becoming out of the southeast at 10 mph with gusts up to 21 mph. 

Fire Restrictions: Fire restrictions are in place on Bureau of Land Management-Royal Gorge Field Office lands, US Forest Service-Pike San Isabel National Forest, and Fremont County. 

Temporary Flight Restrictions: A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place over the YMCA Fire. Wildfires are a No Drone Zone. If you fly, we can’t. Every time a drone is spotted near the fire all aircraft are grounded until we can be sure the drone is clear of the area. For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.

YMCA Fire Contact Information:
Fire Information Office: (719) 315-0690
Email: 2020.ymca@firenet.gov
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6836/
Facebook:  facebook.com/YMCAFireCO
Twitter: twitter.com/YMCAFireCO

YMCA Fire Statistics:
Reported: July 8, 3:37 p.m.
Location: 4 miles SW of Cañon City, CO
Size:  Approximately 293 acres
Personnel: 141
Percent Contained: 40%
Cause:  Lightning 

YMCA Fire Update 
July 10, 2020, 8:00 p.m. 

Bureau of Land Management 
Front Range Fire and Aviation Management Unit 
Scott Nilson, Incident Commander 

YMCA Fire Increases Containment on Friday
Current Situation: Firefighters continued progress on containing the YMCA fire on Friday. As of this evening the fire remains at 293 acres and 40% contained. 
Today, firefighters were aided in the morning by higher overnight humidity that tempered morning fire activity. Five hand crews continued constructing control line in places along the fire’s edge that were accessible. As temperatures increased through the morning and humidity dropped, the fire became a bit more active. One helicopter made bucket drops to cool off hot spots and address fire edge that was inaccessible by ground crews, primarily on the north side of YMCA Mountain. Air tankers were not utilized on Friday. 

Although containment increased again today, smoke and possibly flames will continue to be visible from Canon City and neighboring areas. 

Weather: Friday night, temperatures are expected to be 61-66 degrees with 19-24% humidity and light winds. 

Fire Restrictions: Fire restrictions are in place on Bureau of Land Management-Royal Gorge Field Office lands, US Forest Service-Pike San Isabel National Forest, and Fremont County. 

Temporary Flight Restrictions: A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place over the YMCA Fire. Wildfires are a No Drone Zone. If you fly, we can’t. Every time a drone is spotted near the fire all aircraft are grounded until we can be sure the drone is clear of the area. For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.

YMCA Fire Contact Information:
Fire Information Office: (719) 315-0690
Email: 2020.ymca@firenet.gov
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6836/
Facebook:  facebook.com/YMCAFireCO
Twitter: twitter.com/YMCAFireCO

YMCA Fire Statistics:
Reported:  July 8, 3:37 p.m.
Location:  4 miles SW of Cañon City, CO
Size:  Approximately 293 acres
Personnel: 141
Percent Contained:  40%
Cause:  Lightning

YMCA Fire Update
July 10, 2020 10:00 a.m.
Bureau of Land Management
Front Range Fire and Aviation Management Unit Scott Nilson, Incident Commander

Air and ground resources continue efforts on YMCA Fire

Current Situation: On Thursday, air and ground resources’ efforts resulted in containment of approximately 30% of the fire’s perimeter, primarily on the west and southwest sides of the fire. The fire was mapped at 293 acres on Thursday. 

On Friday, firefighters will take advantage of higher overnight humidity that tempered fire activity. Air and ground resources will continue using the same strategy for containing the YMCA Fire as they used on Thursday. Four hand crews will continue taking advantage of retardant line laid down over the past two days to construct control line in places along the fire’s edge that are accessible. 

Two helicopters will continue bucket drops of water through the day to cool off hot spots and address fire edge that is inaccessible by ground crews. Air tankers will continue to be available as needed. Today, one additional hand crew will join the four already assigned to the YMCA Fire. 

Although containment increased yesterday, smoke and possibly flames will continue to be visible from Canon City and neighboring areas. 

Weather: On Friday, temperatures are expected to be in the mid-to-upper 90s and humidity as low as 3-8%. Winds are expected out the west-southwest from 8-12 with gusts up to 20 after noon. 

Fire Restrictions: Fire restrictions are in place on Bureau of Land Management-Royal Gorge Field Office lands, US Forest Service-Pike San Isabel National Forest, and Fremont County. 

Closures and Evacuations: There are no closures or evacuations in place at this time. The Alert Fremont reverse 911 system is available for residents of Fremont County to get emergency alerts in real time. Residents are encouraged to sign up for Alert Fremont through the county website: https://www.fremontco.com/alert-fremont.

Temporary Flight Restrictions: A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place over the YMCA Fire. Wildfires are a No Drone Zone. If you fly, we can’t. Every time a drone is spotted near the fire all aircraft are grounded until we can be sure the drone is clear of the area. For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.

YMCA Fire Contact Information:
Fire Information Office: (719) 315-0690
Email: 2020.ymca@firenet.gov
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6836/
Facebook:  facebook.com/YMCAFireCO
Twitter: twitter.com/YMCAFireCO

YMCA Fire Statistics:
Reported:  July 8, 3:37 p.m.
Location:  4 miles SW of Cañon City, CO
Size:  Approximately 293 acres
Personnel: 141
Percent Contained:  30%
Cause:  Lightning 

YMCA Fire Update
July 9, 2020 7:00 p.m.
Bureau of Land Management
Front Range Fire and Aviation Management Unit Royal Gorge Field Office 

Firefighters make progress on YMCA Fire, containment increases

Current Situation: On Thursday, a mid-morning flight mapped the YMCA Fire at 268 acres. Through the day, four hand crews used retardant laid down by aircraft over the past two days to create control line in places along the fire’s edge. Their efforts resulted in containment of approximately 30% of the fire’s perimeter. Helicopters continued making bucket drops of water through the day to cool off hot spots and address spots that were inaccessible by ground crews. 

Much of the smoke produced on Thursday was from interior fuels, yielding only small growth on the fire’s perimeter. The fire was mapped at 293 acres. 
Although containment is increasing, smoke and possibly flames will continue to be visible from Canon City and neighboring areas. Crews will be working into the evening and will remain near the fire through the night. 

Weather: Tonight, temperatures are forecast to be 56-61 degrees with winds out of the west at 4-8.

Fire Restrictions: Fire restrictions are in place on Bureau of Land Management-Royal Gorge Field Office lands, US Forest Service-Pike San Isabel National Forest, and Fremont County. 

Closures and Evacuations: There are no closures or evacuations in place at this time. The Alert Fremont reverse 911 system is available for residents of Fremont County to get emergency alerts in real time. Residents are encouraged to sign up for Alert Fremont through the county website: https://www.fremontco.com/alert-fremont.
Temporary Flight Restrictions: A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place over the YMCA Fire. Wildfires are a No Drone Zone. If you fly, we can’t. Every time a drone is spotted near the fire all aircraft are grounded until we can be sure the drone is clear of the area. For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.

YMCA Fire Contact Information:
Fire Information Office: (719) 315-0690
Email: 2020.ymca@firenet.org
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6836/
Facebook:  facebook.com/YMCAFireCO
Twitter: twitter.com/YMCAFireCO

YMCA Fire Statistics:
Reported:  July 8, 3:37 p.m.
Location:  4 miles SW of Cañon City, CO
Size:  Approximately 293 acres
Personnel: 141
Percent Contained:  30%
Cause:  Lightning 

YMCA Fire Update  
July 9, 2020 10:00 a.m.  

Bureau of Land Management  
Front Range Fire and Aviation Management Unit  
Royal Gorge Field Office  

Crews work into the night on Wednesday, plan on continuing efforts Thursday  
Current Situation: The YMCA Fire was reported on the afternoon of July 8. The fire is burning on Bureau of Land Management-Royal Gorge Field Office lands in the Grand Canyon Hills area, approximately 4 miles southwest of Canon City. The fire was last estimated at 120 acres around 7:30 p.m. on Thursday evening. The fire grew overnight but has not yet been mapped for a precise acreage. The fire remains on Bureau of Land Management lands and no structures are threatened at this time. The cause of the fire was determined to be lightning. 

Two hand crews worked until midnight creating fire line along where air tankers had laid retardant around the fire on Wednesday afternoon. Helicopters worked into the evening supporting ground crews with bucket drops of water.

On Thursday, two Type 1 helicopters will assist ground crews in continuing work to contain the fire. Three additional hand crews and an additional Type 1 helicopter has been ordered. Fixed-wing aircraft - Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs), and  Large Air Tankers (LATs) - will be available through the day as needed. 

A public information phone line, a Facebook page, and a Twitter page were established on Wednesday for the public and media to get current information on the YMCA Fire. An Inciweb page was established overnight and information will be posted there as well. Those numbers and addresses are listed below. 

Weather: Clear, sunny skies and temperatures up to 96 are expected over the YMCA Fire today. Winds are forecast out of the west-southwest at 10-15 mph with gusts to 18. 

Fire Restrictions: Fire restrictions are in place on Bureau of Land Management-Royal Gorge Field Office lands, US Forest Service-Pike San Isabel National Forest, and Fremont County. 

Closures and Evacuations: There are no closures or evacuations in place at this time. The Alert Fremont reverse 911 system is available for residents of Fremont County to get emergency alerts in real time. Residents are encouraged to sign up for Alert Fremont through the county website: https://www.fremontco.com/alert-fremont.

Temporary Flight Restrictions: A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place over the YMCA Fire. Wildfires are a No Drone Zone. If you fly, we can’t. Every time a drone is spotted near the fire all aircraft are grounded until we can be sure the drone is clear of the area. For more information, visit http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.

YMCA Fire Contact Information:
Fire Information Office: (719) 315-0690
Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6836/
Facebook:  facebook.com/YMCAFireCO
Twitter: twitter.com/YMCAFireCO

YMCA Fire Statistics:
Reported:  July 8, 3:37 p.m.
Location:  4 miles SW of Cañon City, CO
Size:  Approximately 120 acres
Percent Contained:  0%
Cause:  Lightning

YMCA Fire Update
July 8, 2020, 6:30 p.m.  

Bureau of Land Management 
Front Range Fire and Aviation Management Unit 
Royal Gorge Field Office  

YMCA Fire Burning on BLM Lands Southwest of Canon City  
Current Situation: The YMCA Fire was reported at 3:37 p.m. this afternoon, July 8. The fire is burning on Bureau of Land Management-Royal Gorge Field Office lands in the Grand Canyon Hills area, approximately 4 miles southwest of Canon City. The fire was last estimated at 100 acres around 6 p.m. The fire remains on Bureau of Land Management lands and no structures are threatened at this time. 
 
Multiple agencies are on scene with both air and ground resources. Two Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs), 2 Large Air Tankers (LATs), and helicopters are assisting ground crews. Additional resources have been ordered, including a Hotshot crew and a Type 2 Initial Attack hand crew. Please do not call 911 to report smoke from the YMCA Fire. 
 
A public information phone line, a Facebook page, and a Twitter page has been established for the public and media to get current information on the YMCA Fire. Those are listed below. 
 
More information will be provided as it becomes available. 
 
YMCA Fire Contact Information: 
Fire Information Office:  (719) 315-0690 (8 a.m. to 9 p.m.)
Facebook:  facebook.com/YMCAFireCO 
Twitter: twitter.com/YMCAFireCO  

YMCA Fire Statistics:
Reported:  July 8 
Location:  4 miles SW of Cañon City, CO 
Size:  Approximately 100 acres 
Percent Contained:  0% 
Cause:  Unknown 

 Fresnal Fire Update  July 10, 2020

Firefighters received help Thursday evening from a monsoonal storm that drenched the Fresnal fire. Although the storm was accompanied by a great deal of lightning, the rainfall accompanying the storm brought nearly one-half inch of needed rain. Desert washes in the area were running and firefighters were pulled off the line for safety reasons. This morning little fire activity remains while firefighters are available to handle any new starts created by the large amount of lightning from last night’s passing thunderstorm.

Today, the team managing the fire and most of the resources assigned to this incident will be demobilized to return to home stations or be reassigned to other incidents. Management of the fire will return to the Nogales district of the Coronado National Forest.  Three engine crews will continue to patrol, conduct suppression repair, and monitor for any hotspots within the perimeter that might remain.

This will be the last news release for the Fresnal fire. Total acreage burned by this fire has been measured as 1,718 acres, 502 of which are on the Coronado National Forest, the remainder in Mexico.

Incident Commander Darrell Howell expresses his appreciation to local residents of Arivaca and surrounding area ranching families affected by this fire for their patience with our presence and for allowing us to serve their needs while working in their community.

Closures:  Stage 2 fire restrictions remain in place for the entire Coronado National Forest. These restrictions prohibit open fires, fireworks, and target shooting. Please see: https:Facebook.com/CoronadoNF/ for additional restrictions.

For additional information please see: https://www.inciweb.nwcg.gov

Fresnal Fire Update July 9, 2020
 

Firefighters extended fire lines westward along the international border yesterday. Subsequently a burnout of fuels between the fire and the line was conducted last night while air temperatures were more moderate and humidity levels higher. The effect was to create additional defensible space between the fire and the fire line. This work was conducted to keep any additional fire growth south of the international boundary.

On the eastern portion of the fire, the previous night’s suppression actions continued to hold with no new fire growth occurring. By morning, fire managers had achieved 70% containment on the approximately 200 acres of the fire existing on lands of the Coronado National Forest. A much larger area of the fire is burning in Mexico. Mexican ”Bomberos” are making similar progress to contain the fire south of the international border.

Today firefighters continued widening and improving fire lines and patrolling for hot spots near the line. Ambient temperatures along the border continued to reach over 100 degrees with extremely dry fuel conditions. However, winds were moderate and relative humidity increased later in the afternoon.

There are no nearby structures threatened.

Closures:  Stage 2 fire restrictions are in place for the entire Coronado National Forest. These restrictions prohibit open fires, fireworks, and target shooting. Please see: https:Facebook.com/CoronadoNF/ for additional restrictions.

For additional information please see: https://www.inciweb.nwcg.gov

Southeast Zone Type 3 Incident Management Team
Darrell Howell, Incident Commander

Fresnal Fire
July 8, 2020

The Fresnal Fire was discovered burning towards the international border in Mexico on July 7th. The fire’s ignition source at the present time is unknown. It quickly spread to approximately 500 acres and burned northeastward across the international border onto Coronado National Forest lands. By evening, Mexican “Bomberos” had engaged the fire south of the border. Coronado National Forest fire crews also responded to the fire as it moved into the United States.

This morning crews north of the border coordinated with Mexican crews and jointly conducted burn outs from constructed fire lines intended to keep the fire from moving further into Arizona.

Tomorrow firefighters will continue to defend established lines while widening those barriers. Ambient temperatures along the border have exceeded 100 degrees with fuel conditions extremely dry. These conditions and steep terrain are challenging firefighters, but they are making steady progress.

Currently no structures are threatened.

Closures: Stage 2 fire restrictions are in place for the entire Coronado National Forest. These restrictions prohibit open fires, fireworks, and target shooting. Please see: https://Facebook.com/CoronadoNF/ for additional restrictions. For additional information please see: https://www.inciweb.nwcg.gov