Overview
- Incident command reported the fire has grown to about 60,105 acres with roughly 19% containment and about 658 personnel assigned to suppression efforts.
- Multiple evacuation zones in Dolores and Montezuma counties remain active with Zones 1, 2, 7, 8 and 10 ordered to leave immediately and several other zones placed on pre-evacuation status.
- Steep canyon terrain has produced rapid uphill runs, torching, crown fire and large pyrocumulus clouds that have limited direct attack and forced firefighters to use strategic firing, heavy equipment and indirect control lines.
- California Interagency Incident Management Team 7 now manages the incident and Colorado’s governor declared a disaster emergency to bring more state support while aviation assets including scoopers, large air tankers, helicopters and unmanned aircraft assist ground crews.
- Smoke has degraded air quality across western and southern Colorado, roads and recreation areas are closed under fire-area orders, and forecasts for hot, dry, windy weather with lightning raise the risk of renewed rapid growth into at-risk communities.