West Fork Complex Fire Update: July 16

Current Situation:

The Papoose fire is the only fire on the complex that is staffed. The other fires on the complex will continue to be monitored by air and appropriate action will be taken as needed. Two, Type-3 helicopters remain dedicated to monitoring and will provide bucket drops and other fire support for this complex.

Weather

The next few days will bring a drier weather pattern into the fire area. There will still remain isolated afternoon and evening thunderstorms, confined to the mountain areas. Humidity levels will be 30-42 percent today, with will aid fire efforts. Flash flood watches with potential ash and/or debris flows remain in place in all three fire areas.

Papoose Fire

There is scattered interior heat on the fire that continues to be monitored. Crews will be working to fell dead and damaged trees along popular travel routes, including the River Hill campground. The back haul of equipment will continue off of the fire line.

West Fork Fire and Windy Pass Fire

There are very minimal areas of heat and smoke on this part of the fire. The fires will be monitored and appropriate action will be taken as needed.

Public Health and Safety

Smoke can be expected to be seen across parts of the fire for the next several days to weeks. The rain and winds have gone a long way towards clearing the air. For the Colorado Smoke Outlook, visit http://www.colorado.gov/airquality/colo_advisory.aspx or http://www.colorado.gov/airquality/wildfire.aspx for more information.

Area Road and Trail Closures

For information on road and trail closures and fire restrictions affecting the San Juan National Forest go to: http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/sanjuan/alerts-notices.

For information on road and trail closures and fire restrictions affecting the Rio Grande National Forest go to: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/riogrande/.

Fire Statistics

Location: 14.5 miles north/northeast of Pagosa Springs, CO

Complex Size: 109,615 acres

Windy Pass: 1,417 acres

Papoose: 49,628 acres

West Fork: 58,570 acres

Start Date: 06/05/2013

Percent Contained: 66%

Cause: Lightning

Total Personnel: 82

Resources Include: 1 Type-1 hand crews, 1 Type-2 hand crews, 5 engines, 2 Type-3 helicopters and 12 overhead personnel.

For more information

Blog: http://westforkfirecomplex.blogspot.com/
Website: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/3436/
Twitter: @RioGrandeUSFS
Photos: http://s1286.photobucket.com/user/WestForkComplex/library/

Information Provided by the West Fork Complex Fire Information Officer.