West
Fork Complex Fire Update
Rocky Mountain Incident
Management Team- Pete Blume, Incident Commander
Phoenix National Incident
Management Organization- Curtis Heaton, Incident Commander
Joint Information Center:
719-569-4149 or 719-657-3279
West Zone Email: westforkfire@gmail.com
East Zone Email: WestForkFire.EastZone@gmail.com
July 1, 2013
10:30 am
Special Message: In light of the sad news associated with the loss of
19 members of our firefighting family from Granite Mountain Hot Shots on the
Yarnell Hill Fire in Arizona, the morning update was delayed because of a two
hour stand down issued by Incident Commander Pete Blume. The stand down was a safety precaution provided
to firefighters to debrief the situation and honor those firefighters lost on
the Yarnell Hill Fire. Out of respect
for our colleagues on the Yarnell Hill Fire and Prescott Fire Department, the
West Fork Complex will not issue any further statements in regards to the
Yarnell Hill Fire.
Current Situation:
East Zone of the West
Fork Complex (Includes Papoose and Eastern Part of West Fork Fires)
Papoose Fire: Very little precipitation was received on the
fire. Fire behavior is still expected to
be extreme, especially with the forecast for continued threat of thunderstorms
that include gusty winds. Today’s
highest priority is to focus on the northwest side of the fire by securing
fireline near Crooked Creek down to Rio Grande Reservoir, keeping the fire east
of Squaw Creek. Firefighters will use water
or retardant drops to support construction of new line. On the southeast flank, the fire is expected
to increase in activity this afternoon in the Trout Creek drainage. Firefighters will reinforce structure
protection at Spar City and Red Mountain Ranch.
Along Highway 149, firefighters will mop up adjacent to structures.
Eastern Part of West Fork
Fire: Yesterday,
the north part of the fire reported 0.20 inches of precipitation received. Firefighters will take advantage of the
precipitation by securing line at Lake Humphreys and in the Elk Mountain area. Firefighters will continue direct attack on
that piece of fire line with the aid of water or retardant drops. Along Highway 160, firefighters continued to secure
the fire’s edge. Protection has been
established around structures east of Highway 149.
West Zone of West Fork
Complex (Includes Western Part of West Fork and Windy Pass Fires)
West Fork Spike Camp that had been established to support the
firefighting activities will be closed down today. All personnel and equipment will be
transferred to the Incident Base at Stevens Airfield in Pagosa Springs. Please be cautious with the increased
traffic, especially with increased traffic as visitors start to arrive for the
4th of July festivities.
Western Part of West Fork
Fire/Windy Pass: The West Zone of the West Fork fire is the portion of the fire burning
south of the continental divide.
Structure protection is still in place for Wolf Creek Ski Area, Borns
Lake Cabins, and Bruce Spruce Resort, which is still open, and hose lays and
sprinkler systems are in place and operational in the West Fork Campground that
is also open. Crews started to backhaul the excess firefighting equipment at
Borns Lake, Bruce Spruce and Wolf Creek. Activity on the Windy Pass Fire yesterday
was minimal. A resource advisor was on
the fireline yesterday to assess the landscape and to begin developing a
rehabilitation plan.
Weather: Scattered
thunderstorms are expected to develop today with moderate to heavy rainfall
possible and associated gusty winds. A
potential for ash flow and mudslides still exists, as well as potential for
tree blow down from high winds and helicopter activity. Starting Tuesday, each day
of the week is expected to become warmer and drier, with a chance of isolated thunderstorms.
Public
Health and Safety: Smoke
monitors are in place in Pagosa Springs, Freemon’s Ranch, and Creede. The monitors are identified as #78 (Creede),
#69 (Freemon’s Ranch) and #65 (Pagosa Springs) and can be accessed through the
map located at: http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/smoke.pl.
Times displayed are in GMT – subtract 6 hours to get local time (MDT). For the official Colorado Smoke Outlook,
please visit http://www.colorado.gov/airquality/colo_advisory.aspx
and http://www.colorado.gov/airquality/wildfire.aspx
for further health advisory information.
Please use caution when traveling along Highways 149
and 160. Heavy fire traffic can be
expected along the highways and within the communities of South Fork, Creede,
and Del Norte. Please do not stop along
the roads to take pictures of the fire or firefighters as doing so could impede
fire operations.
Evacuations and Closures: Evacuations for several communities in
Mineral County have been lifted. Residents
are reminded to remain vigilant and be prepared to evacuate at a moment’s
notice in the event that fire activity changes.
Visit http://westforkfirecomplex.blogspot.com/
for a list of areas currently under evacuation or pre-evacuation. The list will be updated as conditions
change.
For additional information on
road and trail closures affecting the San Juan National Forest go to: http://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/sanjuan/alerts-notices.
For additional information on
road and trail closures affecting the Rio Grande National Forest go to: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/riogrande/notices/?cid=STELPRDB5143145.
Fire Information Meetings: The Red Cross Shelter in
Del Norte closed today. Information
meetings that had taken place at the shelter will no longer be held. Visit www.redcross.org/Colorado or
contact your local Red Cross office for further information regarding the
services they provide.
Media Briefings: There are no scheduled media briefings. If media are interested in a briefing or
interview, please contact the East Zone Information Office.
Fire Statistics:
Location: 14.5 miles north/northeast of Pagosa Springs, CO Start
Date: 06/05/2013
Complex Size: 93, 776 acres Percent Contained: 4%
Windy
Pass: 1,417 acres Cause: Lightning
Papoose: 35,842 acres Total Personnel: 1508
West Fork: 56,517 acres
Resources Include: 9 Type 1 hand crews, 21 Type 2 hand crews, 84 engines, 4 dozers, 12 water
tenders, and overhead personnel
Air Resources: 6 Type 1 helicopters,
4 Type 2 helicopters, 10 Type 3 helicopters, and 2 single engine
airtankers (SEATS)
Places
to get information:
Twitter:
@rmt1pio
Information Boards: Information is posted at the
Pagosa Springs Visitor Information Center, Freemons Ranch near Creede, the
Forest Service office in Creede, and at the Del Norte High School.
###
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete