October 17, 2019 (10 a.m.)

Special notes: A Red Flag Warning is in effect from 10 am to 10 pm. Fuels are historically dry, with a high probability of igniting quickly and intensely. Firefighters have been briefed to be prepared for aggressive fire behavior, and reminded to “Stay focused and watch out for snags” (snags are dead, standing trees and other hazard trees that can be a safety threat to firefighters). In Salida and Howard, smoke may periodically reach levels that are unhealthy for sensitive groups. Suppression repair work continues in Divisions A/X/R. Fire vehicles are backhauling equipment and structure protection continues in many areas. Please drive carefully in neighborhoods near the fire area.

Weather: Winds will pickup mid-morning, increasing throughout the day, with gusts to 45 mph. The high pressure system moving into the area will also force winds downslope and accelerate warming and drying. Max temperatures will range from 62-66 degrees over the fire, and minimum RH levels will be 8-12%. 

Current Situation: In Division A/X yesterday, active fire continued backing down to the south, throwing up a lot of smoke. It is still within the control features for that area. Aerial operations provided a steady stream of helicopter bucket drops of water to cool it down. More bucket drops will be delivered today, when or as conditions allow. Farther north near Methodist Mountain, helicopters dropped water on several spot fires that continue to pop up along the edge of the fireline. Fire managers are monitoring the area, and considering other tactics to keep the line secure. Dry, fallen aspen leaves continue to spread fire in the area.  Today, firefighters will continue to hold the line, and monitor for spot fires. 

On the north end of Division R yesterday, there was an increase in fuels burning within the fire perimeter due to dry conditions. Helicopter crews delivered bucket drops to cool them down. Air resources also cooled fire activity near the  “minimal risk, limited action” brown line on the west edge of the fire. Also yesterday, crews continued suppression repair along established fireline to the north. Suppression repair is a series of actions taken to repair damages and minimize environmental impacts resulting from fire suppression activities. Today firefighters will be on patrol, monitoring fire activity.

In Division T, Firefighters established containment line around the eastern corner of the “Rock Finger” section of fire. This new line is the result of a multi-day direct attack on the fire, and a burn operation that removed fuels adjacent to the new line. That line will be tested today by the Red Flag conditions. Firefighters will be watch for spot fires, mop up and hold the line. 

Fire along Muddy Creek in Division W showed increased heat yesterday. Helicopters hit the fire with bucket drops to help quiet that activity. Work continued on new primary control and contingency line between the Wilderness boundary and Howard. Today, crews will clear out and chip brush along the line. 

In Division Y helicopters continued to drop water on the spot fire in the southeast. That fire is in a high, remote area and surrounded by rock on three sides. Division crews also made progress with work on a section of the new contingency and control line located in their division. These efforts will continue today.

Structure protection crews today will be embedded in the Bear Creek neighborhood, protecting structures from potential spot fires. In the Howard area, crews are installing equipment such as hoses, pumps, and sprinkler kits based on the potential fire risk. Night Operations continues to monitor the fire as they hold and secure fireline. 

Closures and Public Safety: There are road closures in Chaffee, Fremont and Saguache County. Please respect closures. San Isabel Forest closures: https://tinyurl.com/SanIsabelClosures. Rio Grande Forest closures: https://tinyurl.com/RioGrandeClosures. BLM closures: Facebook @BLMColoradoFire and https://tinyurl.com/BLMCLosure. For evacuation information, please contact the Chaffee County Sherriff’s Office: 719-539-2596, or Fremont County Emergency Management: 719-276-7416, 719-276-7418 or go to the Chaffee County Sheriff or Fremont County Sheriff Facebook pages and websites. 

Fire Statistics:

Location: Fire started 9 miles south of, and is now burning 2 miles south of Salida, CO  Start Date: September 8, 2019

Size: 8,570 acres Percent Contained: 30

Total Personnel: 889 Cause:  Lightning

Resources Include: 8 Type-1 hand crews, 15 Type-2 hand crews, 36 engines, 4 dozers, 12 water tenders, 2 masticators 

Air Resources: 4 Type-1 (K-MAX, Blackhawk, Chinook), 1 Type-2, and 2 Type 3, and 2 fixed-wing aircraft

CHAFFEE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Salida, Colorado

PRESS RELEASE
October 16, 2019
 
Effective at 10am, Wednesday, October 16, 2019 the evacuation order for Chaffee County residents living on CR 101, Bear Creek, is being cancelled.

CR 101 will remain closed to all other traffic with the exception of Chaffee County residents living on CR 101.

ALL Chaffee County residents who were previously evacuated remain on pre-evacuation status.

CR 108 remains closed to all traffic, with the exception of residents of Boot Hill and Methodist Estates, as well as essential service providers.

Thank You

Sheriff John Spezze

  

October 16, 2019 (10 a.m.)

Fire Statistics:

Location: Fire started 9 miles south of, and is now burning 2 miles south of Salida, CO  Start Date: September 8, 2019

Size: 8,464 acres Percent Contained: 30

Total Personnel: 806 Cause:  Lightning

Resources Include: 8 Type-1 hand crews, 13 Type-2 hand crews, 32 engines, 4 dozers, 101water tenders, 2 masticators 

Air Resources: 4 Type-1 (K-MAX, Blackhawk, Chinook), 1 Type-2, and 2 Type 3, and 2 fixed-wing aircraft

Special notes: Extremely dry, windy conditions will return to the fire area today. A Red Flag Warning goes into effect from 1 pm to 8 pm. Fuels are very receptive to ignition. Please drive carefully in the neighborhoods near the fire area. Suppression repair work continues in Divisions A/X/R. Fire vehicles and personnel are backhauling equipment and structure protection continues in many areas. 

Weather: Humidity levels over parts of the fire will drop to the single digits today. Skies will be mostly clear with areas of smoke. Winds this afternoon will increase in the afternoon to 10-15 mph coming out of the west-southwest, gusting to 30 mph. On the east side of the fire, Winds will be erratic as they eddy around the ridges. Max temperatures will range from 62-66 mph across the fire. 

Current Situation: Yesterday, in Division A/X, aerial operations delivered several bucket drops of water to cool fire that has been slowly backing into the old Ox Cart fire burn scar to the south. The growth has been fueled by fallen aspen leaves. On the west side, bucket drops were used to put out spot fires in the area where fire crossed the line on Sunday in the Methodist Mountain area. Both areas will be monitored today and suppression actions will be taken, as needed when or as conditions allow.

In Division R yesterday, helicopters dropped water onto several small fires burning within the secured fire perimeter on the north side. Those fires are mostly fueled by snags, and dead/down trees. Also yesterday, crews completed the backhaul of structure protection equipment in the Boot Hill neighborhood. Today, firefighters will patrol, secure line, mop-up and backhaul equipment no longer needed. Also today, a dozer will help improve CR 108, which provides key access to utility companies needing to repair and maintain equipment stationed on Methodist Mountain. 

In Division T, Firefighters on the ground made excellent progress securing the direct line along the eastern edge of the fire, including two sections that crossed over the Rainbow Trail on Sunday. Air Ops supported the effort with a steady stream of Helicopter bucket drops. Crews have also laid out “plumbing” (portable hose, pumps and portable tanks) along the line.  That new growth is split into two fingers, named the “Columbine Thumb” and “Rock Finger.” Firefighters started a burn operation last night to remove fuels from a large area on the east side of the Rainbow Trail. That operation continues today. 

In Division W, crews completed construction of the primary control and contingency line between the Wilderness boundary and Howard. A contingency line just west of Howard has also been completed. The spot fire that has been burning on the active fire along Muddy Creek was hit with water drops from helicopters yesterday. If conditions are favorable, more water drops will take place, to keep this stretch from expanding. 

Division Y has been established on the far southeast side and will be monitoring the spot fire that is surrounded by rock on three sides. Dozers will build indirect line using existing roads from Howard Creek Road south to the Hunts Lake Trailhead. Chippers will be utilized to disperse brush removed along the line. 

Structure protection is actively going after hot spots near structures in Bear Creek. Crews will continue structure assessment plans for the east side of Howard. Night operations continues to monitor the fire as they hold and secure fireline. 

Closures and Public Safety: There are road closures in Chaffee, Fremont and Saguache County. Please respect closures. San Isabel Forest closures: https://tinyurl.com/SanIsabelClosures. Rio Grande Forest closures: https://tinyurl.com/RioGrandeClosures. BLM closures: Facebook @BLMColoradoFire and https://tinyurl.com/BLMCLosure. For evacuation information, please contact the Chaffee County Sherriff’s Office: 719-539-2596, or Fremont County Emergency Management: 719-276-7416, 719-276-7418 or go to the Chaffee County Sheriff or Fremont County Sheriff Facebook pages and websites. 

CHAFFEE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Salida, Colorado
PRESS RELEASE

The management of the Type 1 Team has asked that I cancel the evacuation order for the residents of Silver Heels Road and the residences directly west. This becomes effective at 3p, Tuesday, 10/15/19.

The residents that live in Chaffee County on CR 101, Bear Creek, will remain under evacuation orders.

All residents in Chaffee County that have been under previous Decker Fire evacuation orders remain on pre-evacuation status.

Sheriff

John A. Spezze

Residents of Swissvale and Wellsville will be allowed Re-Entry starting at 3pm today 10/15/2019. Re-Entry credentialing will take place at the Howard Volunteer Department at 8274 Highway 50.

Re-Entry will be a controlled process that will include RAPID TAG credentialing. A Rapid Tag will only be issued with one of the following forms of ID showing residency. Drivers license with current address, utility bill, rental/lease agreement, voter registration, property tax receipt, a piece of first class mail with name and address, or a document that proves ownership.

Representatives from SolVista Behavioral Health, FCSO, Red Cross, CSU Extension, Fremont County OEM, and Fremont County Public Health will be present with information.

All evacuees will be issued an “Orange” Rapid Tag.

All residents of Wellsville and Swissvale will remain on Pre-Evac status.

CR 49 residents will be credentialed but not allowed in as that area is still on Mandatory Evacuation Status.

Residents in these areas that live and work in Salida can go to the United Methodist Church in Salida, at 228 E. 4th Street from 3pm-8pm to get credentialing. Red Cross will have information packets at the Steam Plant community meeting tonight.

FRECOM dispatch will send out a reverse notification to the Swissvale and Wellsville evacuation areas to advise of the Re-Entry event.

 There will be a Public Meeting in Salida tonight, Tuesday October 15th at 5:15PM.  The meeting will be held at the Salida SteamPlant, located at 220 W. Sackett Avenue.  Leaders of the Rocky Mtn Incident Management Team and Chaffee County Officials will provide an update on the fire and answer questions from the public.

  

October 15, 2019 (10 a.m.)
 

Fire Statistics:

Location: Fire started 9 miles south of, and is now burning 2 miles south of Salida, CO  Start Date: September 8, 2019

Size: 8,118 acres Percent Contained: 30

Total Personnel: 720 Cause:  Lightning

Resources Include: 7 Type-1 hand crews, 10 Type-2 hand crews, 29 engines, 4 dozers, 10 water tenders, 2 masticators  Air Resources: 4 Type-1 (K-MAX, Blackhawk, Chinook), 1 Type-2, and 3 Type 3, and 2 fixed-wing aircraft

Community Meeting tonight at 5:15 pm at the SteamPlant in Salida, CO.

Special notes: On Monday, the air was clear and seven helicopters and one fixed wing air tanker were used. 130,000 gallons of water were dropped and over 15 loads of retardant were applied. Suppression repair work is in progress in Divisions A/X/R. Please drive carefully in the neighborhoods near fire area. Fire vehicles and personnel are backhauling equipment and structure protection continues in many areas. 

Weather: Relative humidity recovered last night to the mid 30s. Today will bring mostly sunny skies with a few clouds forming in the afternoon. Max temperatures will range from 55-63 degrees across the fire with humidity ranging from 11-17%. Winds will be 7-9 mph until noon followed by west to WSW from 8-12 mph occasionally gusting to 20 mph. 

Current Situation: After all of the fire activity Sunday and the diligent, hard work of ground and aerial resources yesterday, the Operations Section Chief says things are looking good. 

Yesterday, in Division A/X, the fire was creeping slowly at times fed by recently fallen aspen leaf litter. The slop-over from Sunday was hit with water and retardant to slow fire growth and worked by ground crews. Dozers completed line around the slop over. The brown line on the south and west sides of the fire continues to hold. Firefighters will continue to monitor as they complete suppression repair work.

Division R crews monitored firelines and backhauled equipment. This work will continue today. 

In Division T, fire managers assessed the current fire edge and continued to build and secure fireline on the east side of the fire. Eleven crews worked in Division T to build direct line around the fire’s edge where it crossed CR 101. That section is lined, mopped up and plumbed. The finger of the fire along the Columbine Trail has also been lined. Today crews will continue to construct fireline to keep the fire from impacting values at risk.,

In Division W, the control and contingency line between the Wilderness boundary and Howard will be improved over the next few days. This will include brushing and chipping. 

Division Y has been established on the far southeast side and will be monitoring the spot fire that is surrounded by rock on three sides. Dozers will build indirect line using existing roads from Howard Creek Road south to the Hunts Lake Trailhead. Chippers will be utilized to disperse brush removed along the line. 

Structure protection will monitor structures in Bear Creek and continue structure assessment plans for the east side of Howard. Night shift continues to monitor the fire as they hold and secure fireline. 

Closures and Public Safety: There are road closures in Chaffee, Fremont and Saguache County. Please respect closures. San Isabel Forest closures: https://tinyurl.com/SanIsabelClosures. Rio Grande Forest closures: https://tinyurl.com/RioGrandeClosures. BLM closures: Facebook @BLMColoradoFire and https://tinyurl.com/BLMCLosure. For evacuation information, please contact the Chaffee County Sherriff’s Office: 719-539-2596, or Fremont County Emergency Management: 719-276-7416, 719-276-7418 or go to the Chaffee County Sheriff or Fremont County Sheriff Facebook pages and websites. 

A reminder: there is a public meeting TONIGHT at 6PM in HOWARD at the Howard Volunteer Fire Department, 8724 US-50 in Howard.
 

Also, we have added a public meeting TOMORROW (Tuesday) night in SALIDA. It will start at 5:15 PM at the Salida SteamPlant, 220 W. Sackett Avenue in Salida.

Leaders of the Rocky Mountain Type 1 Incident Management team and county officials will be at both meetings to update you on the fire and answer your questions

October 14, 2019 (10 a.m.)

Fire Statistics:

Location: Fire started 9 miles south of, and is now burning 2 miles south of Salida, CO  Start Date: September 8, 2019

Size: 8,118 acres Percent Contained: 30

Total Personnel: 707 Cause:  Lightning

Resources Include: 9 Type-1 hand crews, 9 Type-2 hand crews, 27 engines, 4 dozers, 8 water tenders

Air Resources: 4 Type-1 (K-MAX, Blackhawk, Chinook), 1 Type-2, and 2 Type 3, and 2 fixed-wing aircraft
 

Special notes: Today there is another Red Flag Warning over the fire from 11:00 am-8:00 pm. Fuels are “resistant to control, receptive to fire,” due to the long stretch of windy, extremely dry conditions. Standard firefighting safety procedures include: Lookouts, Communication, Escape Routes and Safety Zones (LCES). Sunday afternoon, after three straight days of Red Flag Warnings, the extremely dry fuels and weather came into alignment to create a situation where 184 firefighters and their supervisors needed to use all four of these strategies. 

Weather: A morning inversion over parts of the fire kept temperatures warmer at lower elevations. Today, high temperatures of 55-61 degrees with minimum humidity of 8-13% will prevail. Winds will be WSW at 17 mph with gusts to 30 mph until 11:00 am. Then winds will shift to west to west-southwest at 20-25 mph with gusts to 40 mph. After 7:00 pm a wind shift to west-northwest at 15 mph with gusts to 25 mph will occur. Strongest winds will be over the ridgelines and aligned drainages.

Current Situation: In Division A/X, dry, aspen leaf litter added to interior fuels that burned and escaped the line to the southwest of Methodist Mountain, causing a 5-15 acre slop-over. An air tanker was called in to drop retardant to slow the growth; water drops from helicopters were also used to cool the fire. This morning, this section of the fire will be a priority. Dozers will construct line to box it in and reinforce the fireline; air tankers will be used as necessary and as conditions allow.

Division R crews monitored spot fires burning interior fuels, backhauled equipment, and patrolled lines. They will continue those efforts today. 

In Division T, crews worked through the night Saturday to remove fuels between the fire and the Rainbow Trail. Sunday, at about noon, on the small piece of line that was still intact, fire blew across the Rainbow Trail and pushed rapidly towards the NE. Crews used escape routes, proceeded to their safety zones, took accountability, regrouped and re-engaged when safe to do so. Fire managers quickly implemented structure protection operations to protect homes in the fire’s path, while crews also initiated a direct attack on the fire. Today, fire managers will assess the current fire edge, re-establish LCES and continue to build and secure fireline on the east. 

In Division W, the spot fire near Muddy Creek that became active Saturday, continued to burn Sunday as 35-40 mph winds blew to the WSW.  Due to the smoke and rough terrain, air resources were not able to visualize the fire edge or use bucket drops for the spot fire.  Today, the spot fire will be monitored. Dozer line and an improved private road will establish a new contingency line halfway between the fireline and Howard.

A new division, Y, has been established in the far southeast. This area will be scouted for possible contingency lines.

Structure protection will monitor fire spread in Bear Creek and begin structure assessment plans for the east side of Howard. Night shift continues to monitor the fire as they hold and secure fireline. 

Closures and Public Safety: There are road closures in Chaffee, Fremont and Saguache County. Please respect closures. San Isabel Forest closures: https://tinyurl.com/SanIsabelClosures. Rio Grande Forest closures: https://tinyurl.com/RioGrandeClosures. BLM closures: Facebook @BLMColoradoFire and https://tinyurl.com/BLMCLosure. For evacuation information, please contact the Chaffee County Sherriff’s Office: 719-539-2596, or Fremont County Emergency Management: 719-276-7416, 719-276-7418 or go to the Chaffee County Sheriff or Fremont County Sheriff Facebook pages and websites. 

Good morning from the Decker fire.
 
The interactive fire map has been updated to show evacuation and pre-evacuation areas in Chaffee and Fremont Counties.

This online map has various types of information including a place where you can enter your address and see your location relative to the fire location, a measuring tool to measure distance, hunting information and forest closures. This map will continue to be refined and additional information will be added as time goes on. This is NOT a live map and the fire perimeter will be updated once a day.       https://arcg.is/1zPGWH