Lightner Creek Fire Update
June 30, 2017 - 8:30 a.m.
Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team Black
Shane Greer, Incident Commander
Information Center: (970) 335-8084
Hours of Operation: 7 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Current Situation: There will be a community meeting Friday, June 30 at 5 p.m. at Escalante Middle School (141 Baker Lane). The team and partners will provide updates and be available to answer questions on the fire's progression, suppression actions, and plans to further contain the fire.
The Lightner Creek Fire started June 28 in a structure on private land and spread to nearby vegetation. The fire is burning on private, state, and BLM-administered lands. Several heavy air tankers, single engine air tankers and helicopters assisted and lined most of the fire east of Lightner Creek with retardant. As of Thursday evening, the fire is now estimated at 362 acres and 20 percent contained.
Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team Black assumed command of the incident at 6 a.m. Friday, June 30. The team will continue to work closely with La Plata County, the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, the Bureau of Land Management.
La Plata County is posting community and evacuation updates at www.co.laplata.co.us. Evacuees who need to enter closed areas on County Roads 206, 207 and 208 are asked to call the hotline at (970) 385-8700 to request a law enforcement escort to retrieve medications, pets, livestock, or campers in the Lightner Creek Campground. Scheduling will be dependent on fire conditions, and the trips will be brief.
Weather: Breezy and dry conditions are expected to continue through Friday.
Safety: Wildfire behavior is largely contingent upon weather and fuel conditions. The potential for fire activity remains high. The public is reminded to be cautious with all combustible materials to prevent unwanted, human-caused fires.
Please remember that members of the public who illegally fly drones over or near wildfires threaten the safety of firefighters and the effectiveness of wildfire management operations. Unauthorized drones have disrupted and delayed air operations on the Lightner Creek Fire on several occasions.
Closures: County Roads 206, 207 and 208 remain closed. All recreation trails in the “Test Tracks” west of downtown Durango are closed, including Hogsback, Leyden and Hidden Valley trails.
Fire Restrictions: Stage 1 Fire Restrictions are in effect on BLM-administered public lands in Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, Montrose and San Miguel counties. La Plata County Board of County Commissioners enacted restrictions on open burning south of U.S. Highway 160. Stage 1 restrictions affect unincorporated private land and state land areas in La Plata County.
Lightner Creek Fire Stats:
Start Date: June 28
Location: 4.24 miles NW of Durango
Size: 362 acres
Percent Contained: 20%
Cause: Structure; spread to wildland
Twitter: #lightnercreekfire
Chris BarthFire Mitigation Specialist
BLM – Montana/Dakotas
BLM – Montana/Dakotas
O: (406) 896-2977
C: (406) 671-4856
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