Colorado Wildfire Report: October 9
Fern Lake Fire
Fire Jurisdiction: Rocky Mountain National Park Land
Location/County: Rocky Mountain National Park - Bear Lake Are in Larimer County Southwest of Estes Park.
Cause: No report at this time
Acres: 300 Acres
Containment: No report at this time.
Evacuations/Closures: Moraine Campground evacuation, YMCA Camp of the Rockies Pre-Evacuation. Road and trail closures include: Bear Lake Road, Upper Beaver Meadows Road and trails in the area of the fire. Trails west of Bear Lake Road and south of Trail Ridge Road are closed.
Fatalities/Injuries: None reported
Structures Lost/Damaged: None at this time and none threatened.
Significant Events: Fire is burning in steep, forest terrain. The fire is burning up slope toward alpine tundra. Due to steep, inaccessible terrain crews will not be put on the fire line tonight. Fire crews will monitor the fire throughout the night.
Resources: Personnel: 1- Type 1 helicopter ordered, RMNP personnel are on scene with additional fire personnel and air support. An air tanker and heavy helitanker have arrived but due to cloudy and turbulent conditions they were unable to fly. No State assistance requested at this time.
Source of Information: Twitter: @RMNPOfficial, www.inciweb.org, CO DFPC and WebEOC
Highway 13 Fire - Final Report
Fire Jurisdiction: BLM
Location/County: 15 miles north of Rifle, Colorado.
Cause: Human Caused (still under investigation)
Acres: 991 Acres
Containment: 80%
Evacuations/Closures: None at this time.
Fatalities/Injuries: None reported
Structures Lost/Damaged: None at this time and none threatened.
Significant Events: Firefighters continue to monitor and mop up the fire. Smoke will remain visible in the area for several more days.
Resources: Personnel: About 50 local firefighters from the Upper Colorado River Unit continued to secure containment lines around the fire.
Source of Information: Press Release from BLM PIO David Boyd, www.inciweb.org, www.garcopublicinfo.org, and Twitter: @garco911, @garcopio
Middle Elk Creek Fire - Final Report
Jurisdiction: USFS White River National Forest
Location: Near Hiner Springs - 30 miles by road from New Castle, CO.
Cause: Human Cause, unattended campfire
Acres: 257 Acres
Containment: 30% Contained
Evacuations/Closures: The Buford Newcastle area of the Middle Elk Fire is closed due to numerous snags and scattered beetle kill that make it dangerous for the public. A map is posted on www.inciweb.org.
Fatalities/Injuries: none reported.
Structures Lost/damaged: none reported.
Significant Events: Fire area is closed for safety reasons - all other surrounding areas are open.
No report on staffing numbers.
View COEM’s current map of Colorado Fire Restrictions at: https://www.google.com/fusiontables/embedviz?viz=MAP&q=select+col4+from+1o76CJOtWMM37FdAb-dpQdTeUlwkbC0oBFAETH78&h=false&lat=39.02634487425597&lng=-105.550565&z=7&t=1&l=col4
There are several freeze and frost warnings in effect across the state of Colorado, however, no active watches, warnings or advisories related to fire danger. For more information go to http://www.weather.gov/alerts-beta/co.php?x=1.
Resources for updates on wildfires:
INCIWEB: www.inciweb.org - Select the State in the drop down in upper right hand corner
Colorado Office of Emergency Management: www.COEmergency.com
US Forest Service Active Fire Map: http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/lg_fire2.php
About this report: This wildfire update is provided by the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management in partnership with the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control to keep you informed of current wildfires for which the State is currently supporting and monitoring. The update does not cover all wildfires currently burning in Colorado that may be smaller incidents.
