June 10, 2018

9 a.m.

Weather: Critical fire weather conditions are expected for much of the day, and a red flag warning is in place from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Conditions will be dry and windy, with winds becoming active by 10 a.m. and potential gusts of up to 35 mph. Humidity values may be as low as single digits. The Fire Weather Potential remains at “severe”; this measurement accounts for factors such as relative humidity, wind, temperature, chance of lightning, and the Haines Index, which measures the stability and dryness of air over a fire. Today’s index is 6 (the highest, most extreme value.) This combination of weather and fuel conditions creates significant potential for fire intensity and growth today.

Current Situation: The fire saw significant growth yesterday as expected on the west and northwest sides. This area is in the National Forest and not in residential areas.

Fire behavior will become active early today. As winds move though the fire in Division H on the west side, there will be significant smoke columns visible. Division H will be monitored by air. Firefighters will scout for opportunities to connect lines from Division H into Division D near the Junction Creek Rd., tying that line back into US 550. In this area and others, firefighters will use lookouts to monitor for changing fire behavior and to help ensure the safety of crews.

In Division X on the north side of the fire, firefighters have constructed line into the Hermosa Meadows area and successfully joined this line with protected areas around Purgatory Resort.

Fire above the Hermosa Cliffs will move north and east. Patrol and mop up continues in Divisions Y and Z. Structure protection crews are securing structures in these divisions along the US 550 corridor. They will work on both the west and east sides of US 550. Crews will look for protective opportunities in the Electra Lake area. The fire has not crossed east of US 550, however, firefighters want to be prepared for any changes in fire behavior and location. Crews will construct dozer and handline from the north end of the fire to Castle Rock and prepare this area for burnout operations.

There was some rollout overnight in Division A above Hermosa. (Rollout is a term used to describe burning material rolling downhill with potential to ignite new fuel.) However, crews mitigated this hazard and successfully protected structures in the area. Crews also performed further burnout operations around structures in Division A last night. Today, fire will remain active on the ridges in Division A above Hermosa and will continue to back down the slopes. Fire managers plan to keep the fire high on the ridge and out of the path of any structures. Line has been brought around structures in this area and down to the road, and mitigation has proved successful in Division A.

Structure protection crews throughout the entire fire area are actively assessing and prepping homes. No structures have been lost or damaged.

Closures and Public Safety: Highway 550 is closed from mile marker 32 to 47. Pilot cars escort traffic through the closure from 8 am to 6 pm daily when conditions allow. This status may change if fire or evacuation activities change. For up to date information on road closures visit www.cotrip.org. Evacuations are in place for several areas in the fire vicinity. For up to date information on the status of evacuations, please contact the La Plata County Emergency Operations Center at 970-385-8700 or visit www.co.laplata.co.us.

Special note: There are still countless recreational opportunities available and southwestern Colorado is open for business. Please see these websites for tourism and recreational opportunities: La Plata County: https://www.colorado.com/association/la-plata-county Official Durango Tourism site: https://www.durango.org/ Durango Business Improvement District http://downtowndurango.org/ San Juan County: http://www.sanjuancountycolorado.us/index.html Silverton, CO Chamber of Commerce: http://www.silvertoncolorado.com/

Fire Statistics:

Location: 13 miles north of Durango, CO

Start Date: June 1, 2018

Size: 16,766 acres

Percent Contained: 10

Total Personnel: 813

Cause: Under Investigation

Resources Include: 9 Type 1 hand crews, 11 Type 2 hand crews, 44 engines, 5 dozers, 4 water tenders

Helicopters: Four Type 1, two Type 2, and two Type 3