Friday, 20 Sep 2024

Colorado wildfires: Containment continues to rise on Muddy Slide, Sylvan fires

Near-record highs on Thursday along the Front Range have not reignited blazes burning across Colorado. Officials are preparing for possible increased fire behavior as forecasters predict a week of heat and dry ahead.

Currently, 50 large fires have burned 566,525 acres across the country, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

Here’s the latest on some of the fires burning in Colorado:

Muddy Slide fire

Burning 20 miles south of Steamboat Springs, this blaze began June 20 and has been 50% contained. The Routt County fire is burning mostly timber with minimal behavior. NIFC reports that structures and energy infrastructure are threatened, with 18 structures already lost. Officials are anticipating, “an increase in fire potential is expected in the near term. Long-term fire behavior will depend on the weather, amount of residual heat, and the ability for the fire to move into available fuels.” Firefighters are also fearful of increasing winds in the area.

There are 253 people working the 4,093-acre fire, which has cost $8 million. Six crews, 19 Engines and four helicopters are working on hitting the estimated goal of containment by the end of July. The cause of the fire is unknown.

Sylvan fire

Burning 15 miles south of Eagle, near Sylvan State Park, the fire has grown to 3,792 acres acres since it began on June 20. The fire is fueled by timber and brush with minimal behavior as of late. No structures have been lost.

“Warm, dry weather in the fire area contributed to an increase in heat and fire activity across the Sylvan Fire,” the official report read after Thursday. “Isolated torching of individual trees within the fire perimeter occurred. Firefighters continued to hold, improve, and monitor containment lines and are actively mopping up hotspots along the fire perimeter. Smoke or flames inside the Sylvan Fire perimeter may be visible from Forest Road 400. The fire perimeter is not expected to grow despite fire activity inside the current perimeter.”

There are 66 people working the fire, which has been 68% contained and has cost $6.7 million. Officials estimate the fire to be contained by Aug. 1. The cause of the fire is lightning.

Sylvan State Park is still closed.

Oil Springs fire

The lightning-caused blaze has been burning since June 18, charring 12,613 acres of land 42 miles north of Grand Junction. Timber and brush are fueling the fire now, with one structure lost.

There are 21 people working the fire, which has been 99% contained and has cost $5 million. Officials estimate the fire to be contained by Saturday.

Wildfire map

Click markers for details, use buttons to change what wildfires are shown. Map data is automatically updated by government agencies and could lag real-time events. Incident types are numbered 1-5 — a type 1 incident is a large, complex wildfire affecting people and critical infrastructure, a type 5 incident is a small wildfire with few personnel involved. Find more information about incident types at the bottom of this page.

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