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Firefighters get a toe-hold on Toe fire

Weather provides a break in the Sleeping Ute Mountain wildfire

Firefighters had favorable weather Friday in their efforts to contain a wildfire on Sleeping Ute Mountain now dubbed the Toe fire.

Light rains, heavy cloud cover and higher humidity suppressed the fire, seven miles west of Towaoc.

“It was not very active (Friday), and very little smoke has been visible,” said Pam Wilson, a public information officer.

A flight Friday morning by the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control Multi-mission aircraft measured the fire at 369 acres, with 20 percent containment.

Forty federal firefighters are working in rough, steep terrain to dig a fire line around the perimeter. Three additional crews – 60 firefighters – were expected to arrive Friday night, Wilson said.

Incident commander Rich Gustafson said the fire behaved typically of fires in piñon-juniper forests.

“With warm temperatures and wind, the fire picks up and makes a big run, but as soon as the wind disappears, the fire drops to the ground,” he said.

Two single-engine air tankers have been dropping retardant along the fire perimeter to slow future spread. The planes are operating out of the Interagency SEAT Reload Base at the Cortez Airport.

Firefighting crews are encamped near the Ute Mountain Farm and Ranch and are being shuttled by helicopter to near the fire line.

The fire isn’t threatening homes, Towaoc or the cellular towers on Hermano Mountain. It is burning in steep, rugged terrain and dense vegetation of piñon and juniper.

Fire managers are keeping an eye on the weather. A front, possibly with moisture or lightning, is predicted to move through the area.

“Our first concern is for firefighter safety,” Gustafson said.

The fire, detected about 3 p.m. Thursday, was most likely started by lightning earlier in the week. Often a fire will smolder for a few days until the temperature warms up and wind picks up. The Durango Interagency Type 3 Team took over management of the fire Thursday evening.

“The plan is to get a fire line all the way around it so there is no chance of it escaping,” Wilson said.

Thunderstorms are likely Friday evening in the area of the fire, and there is a 30 percent chance of storms Saturday. Sunny weather should return Sunday with a high of 86.



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