Durango Fire would like to ask that community members use discretion when calling 911 for smoke and/or fire within the Lightner Creek Fire area.
It is normal for there to be hot spots, glowing spots, fire, and/or smoke within the 'black' area (within the containment lines) of a contained wildland fire. This is why containment is defined by percentage of perimeter surrounding the fire and not the percentage of area extinguished (within the containment lines).
From a preventative standpoint, It is actually better to let these areas burn to reduce the fuel load in case of a future fire in that area.
If you are in, or near, the CR207/CR208 area you will probably be seeing more smoke and hot spots for days to come. If you are feeling uncertain or unsafe, please call 911. If this activity is within the containment lines, we ask that you don't call 911. Durango Fire crews and the Type III Incident Management Team are monitoring the area for your, and the community's protection.
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
Monday, July 3, 2017
Lightner Creek Fire Update July 3, 2017 - 8:15 a.m.
Lightner Creek Fire Update
July 3, 2017 - 8:00 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.
This will be the final update for the Lightner Creek Fire from Rocky Mountain Team Black
Current Situation: The Lightner Creek Fire is now 95 percent contained due to the continued hard work of the firefighters. The current fire size is 412 acres, however this increase from what was previously reported is due to more accurate mapping, and not an increase in perimeter growth.
On Sunday, all remaining residents that had been evacuated were allowed to return home. The roads will remain closed to the public, and only residents with Rapid Tag cards issued from the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office will be allowed in the area. Residents can expect to continue to see firefighting resources in their community.
On Monday, firefighters will patrol the fire’s perimeter and perform any suppression repair that is necessary. Smoke may continue to be visible at times, but is well within the controlled edge of the containment line. Excess resources will continue to be released from the fire as they complete their work.
With the fire nearly at full containment, Rocky Mountain Team Black will transition management of the fire back to the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control and the Bureau of Land Management on Tuesday morning. A type 3 incident management organization – consisting of an incident commander, one engine, and one helicopter - will continue to patrol the fire as necessary.
Weather: The forecast calls for gusty west, northwest winds with a slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Winds are expected to be 10 to 15 mph with gusts to 20 mph. Relative humidity is expected to increase slowly through the week.
Safety: Despite the success in containing the Lightner Creek Fire, the potential for another wildfire remains high due to dry vegetation, high temperatures, and low relative humidity. Fire officials urge homeowners living in the wildland urban interface to create defensible space around their home. Visit www.southwestcoloradofires.org/ for more information about becoming a fire adapted community.
Closures: All recreation trails in the “Test Tracks” west of downtown Durango remain closed; including Hogsback, Leyden and Hidden Valley trails. The Bureau of Land Management and Colorado Parks and Wildlife have closures in place on public lands east of County Road 208. U.S. Forest Service trails in the Dry Fork area leaving the Colorado Trail into the above referenced closure are marked with signs indicating the fire closures in the Perins Peak area.
Fire Restrictions: Several Fire Restrictions are in place in the area. Please visit http://www.coemergency.com/p/fire-bans-danger.html for a complete listing of fire restrictions in Colorado.
Lightner Creek Fire
Start Date: June 28
InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5298/
Location: 4.25 miles WNW of Durango
Email: lightnercreekfireinfo@gmail.com
Size: 412 acres
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BLMMontroseFireUnit/
Percent Contained: 95
Twitter: #lightnercreekfire
Cause: Structure; spread to wildland
###
Sunday, July 2, 2017
Lightner Creek Fire Update July 2, 2017 - 8:30 a.m.
Lightner Creek Fire Update
July 2, 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: Containment of the Lightner Creek Fire has increased to 89 percent. The fire’s size has increased slightly to 406 acres. Crews were able to make excellent progress on building containment lines despite the challenging terrain. A drone flying in the fire area temporarily halted air operations on Saturday, but helicopters eventually resumed flying by the afternoon to support firefighters on the ground. On Saturday evening, residents on County Road 207, north of the intersection of County Road 207/208, were allowed to return home. Additionally, all pre-evacuation notices are now lifted.
On Sunday, firefighters will continue to build and secure existing containment lines around the fire. Smoke may still be visible within the fire perimeter at times, and should not be a concern to residents or visitors in the area. All remaining evacuated residents will be allowed to return home as of Sunday morning. This includes residents of County Roads 207 and 208, north of U.S. Highway 160.
Weather: The forecast calls for continued hot and dry conditions. Winds are expected to increase on Sunday, with a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon.
Safety: Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), or drones, are not allowed over wildland fire operations. They pose a serious risk to pilots, firefighters, and the public. A drone can be fatal to firefighting pilots and firefighters working to suppress the fire. Unauthorized drones also disrupt and delay firefighting efforts.
While residents may return home, County Roads 207 and 208 remain closed to the public. This remains an active fire area, with firefighting operations under way. Please do not disrupt fire operations or obstruct equipment.
Closures: All recreation trails in the “Test Tracks” west of downtown Durango remain closed; including Hogsback, Leyden and Hidden Valley trails. The Bureau of Land Management and Colorado Parks and Wildlife have closures in place on public lands east of County Road 208. U.S. Forest Service trails in the Dry Fork area leaving the Colorado Trail into the above referenced closure are marked with signs indicating the fire closures in the Perins Peak area.
Fire Restrictions: Several Fire Restrictions are in place in the area. Please visit http://www.coemergency.com/p/fire-bans-danger.html for a complete listing of fire restrictions in Colorado.
Lightner Creek Fire
Start Date: June 28
InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5298/
Location: 4.25 miles WNW of Durango
Email: lightnercreekfireinfo@gmail.com
Size: 406 acres F
acebook: https://www.facebook.com/BLMMontroseFireUnit/
Percent Contained: 89
Twitter: #lightnercreekfire
Cause: Structure; spread to wildland
###
Saturday, July 1, 2017
Rocky Mountain Incident Management Team - Lightner Creek Fire Update
Lightner Creek Fire Update
July 1, 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: Crews made excellent progress securing the western flanks of both portions of the Lightner Creek Fire (west and east of County Road 207) on Friday. Air operations supported firefighters on the ground with water drops, but no retardant was used on Friday. Handcrews will continue to secure and strengthen containment lines on Saturday, with the objective of allowing evacuated residents to return to their homes as quickly as is safe to do so. Residents and visitors may see smoke occasionally from the northeast portion of the fire on the east side of Country Road 207 as the vegetation inside the fire perimeter is consumed by the fire. This should not be a cause of concern to the public. Fire officials emphasize that the smoke visible in town is well within the perimeter of the fire. Crews are optimistic that they will be able to continue to make progress on increasing containment of the Lightner Creek Fire on Saturday.
Weather: Sunny skies and dry weather are expected to continue. High pressure will provide relief from critical fire weather conditions of the past few days.
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. Fireworks are always illegal on all public lands.
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 disrupted and delayed air operations on the Lightner Creek Fire during the initial response.
Closures: County Roads 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. The Bureau of Land Management and Colorado Parks and Wildlife have closures in place on public lands east of County Road 208. U.S. Forest Service trails in the Dry Fork area leaving the Colorado Trail into the above referenced closure are marked with signs indicating the fire closures in the Perins Peak area.
Fire Restrictions: Several Fire Restrictions are in place in the area. Please visit http://www.coemergency.com/p/fire-bans-danger.html for a complete listing of fire restrictions in Colorado.
Lightner Creek Fire
Start Date: June 28 InciWeb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5298/
Location: 4.25 miles WNW of Durango Email: lightnercreekfireinfo@gmail.com
Size: 397 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BLMMontroseFireUnit/?fref=nf
Percent Contained: 29 Twitter: #lightnercreekfire
Cause: Structure; spread to wildland
###
Friday, June 30, 2017
Lightner Creek Fire Update
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
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
La Plata County Commissioners enact Stage 1 fire restrictions south of Highway 160
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, June 27, 2017
Commissioners enact Stage 1 fire restrictions south of Highway 160
On Tuesday, the La Plata County Board of County
Commissioners enacted restrictions on open burning south of U.S. Highway 160
effective 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 28. These Stage 1 restrictions affect
unincorporated private land and state land areas in La Plata County. County Commissioners enacted the fire
restrictions on the recommendation of Sheriff Sean Smith and the chiefs of the
local fire districts.
“We have had good moisture through the winter and spring
months that has led to dense ground fuels,” said Butch Knowlton, La Plata
County director of emergency management.
“Those grasses and smaller fuels at the lower elevations have now dried
and created conditions that allow for rapid fire development and movement.”
The fire restrictions prohibit open burning, burn barrels
and agricultural burning on private property and State lands south of U.S. Highway
160. Charcoal fires are allowed in suitable containers, as are gas grills for
barbeques at private residences or fires within designated campground pits with
protective grates. Residents and visitors must not to leave these fires
unattended and must carefully and fully extinguish them after use. The
use of a campfire, coal or wood-burning stove, any type of charcoal grill or
open fire in any undeveloped area is prohibited.
Stage 1 fire restrictions articulate the following:
• Smoking
is limited to vehicles, buildings, developed recreational areas and 3-foot-wide
areas cleared of vegetation.
• Fireworks
are prohibited.
• Use
of explosive material is prohibited.
• Use
of any internal combustion engine is prohibited unless it is equipped with an
approved and functioning spark-arresting device.
• Welding
and cutting operations must be conducted with a 20-foot radius safe zone free
of vegetation with a 2.5 gallon pressurized fire extinguisher or 5 lb. ABC
extinguisher or pressurized water supply and proper hand tools on site with a
fire watch individual standing by continuously.
• Flaring
for production wells may be allowed with approval from the designated fire
chief.
A violation of the fire restrictions shall constitute a
class 2 petty offense punishable by a fine of up to $300 for each
violation.
The fire restrictions will remain in effect until the threat
of fire danger in La Plata County has reduced significantly, as determined by
the sheriff, local fire chiefs and the county’s director of emergency management.
Should conditions worsen, heightened fire restrictions may be enacted.
The Southern Ute Indian Tribe has enacted similar fire
restrictions that will also take effect on June 28 for tribal lands; the Bureau
of Land Management enacted Stage I fire restrictions effective today on agency
lands in La Plata, Archuleta, Dolores, Montezuma, Montrose and San Miguel
counties.
The U.S. Forest Service will continue to closely monitor
conditions, but has not issued fire restrictions at this time. Most Forest Service lands in La Plata County
are at higher elevations and currently, the conditions at the upper elevations
are not dangerously dry and are ideal for managed fires.
At this time, all public fireworks displays for Fourth of
July celebrations will continue under the supervision of the respective fire
districts. Final decisions will be made according to conditions as the date
approaches.
###
Wednesday, June 7, 2017
Community Input/Open House Scheduled at Downtown Durango Fire Station
We would like to invite our community to attend
an Open House at our current Downtown Fire Station at River City Hall - which
is located next to the Power House Science Center ( 1235 Camino Del Rio). The open house is scheduled for Tuesday June
13th from 6pm - 8pm. At the open house
we will be presenting plans, including proposed locations and designs, for the
construction of a Downtown Fire Station which will replace and upgrade the
functionality of our current Station 2.
We have narrowed the search to three possible locations and would like
to present these locations and receive input on which one would better serve
our community.
Attending the open house will be representatives
of CDOT, Durango City Council, The Durango Fire Protection District Board of
Directors, and City and Fire Department Staff Members - who will be available
to discuss the proposed locations and answer questions. Tours of the current Downtown Fire Station
will also be available all evening long.
Durango Fire Protection District is currently
housed in the River City Hall location which was pressed into service as a fire
station in 1983 as a temporary location until a more permanent solution could
be found. Since that time, the call
volume for our downtown district has grown from 719 calls annually to 2273 in
2016. The current Station presents
significant challenges for the Fire District due space limitations, age and
disrepair of the building, and design challenges since it was not built to house
a fire station. We invite all community members who are interested to come down
and be a part of the conversation, and provide your thoughts on the best
location for a new Downtown Fire Station.
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