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Wildfire on tribal land near Marvel fully contained

Fire in remote area of grass and scrub oak

Lightning sparked a 66-acre wildfire east of Marvel on

The fire in 44 Canyon was 100 percent contained at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday and crews are going to continue mopping up for the next few days, said Rich Gustafson, fire management officer for the Southern Ute Agency, Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The fire likely started Tuesday, and crews were notified about the fire within the burn scar of the 1994 Black Ridge Fire about noon Wednesday, he said.

“It’s pretty remote,” he said.

The closest the fire got to any gas wells was about a quarter of a mile and no structures were threatened, he said.

About 22 people were working on the fire the blaze and another 20 people were expected to arrive from Albuquerque Thursday afternoon, Gustafson said.

The fire is burning mostly in grass and oak brush, he said.

“That was really a good factor on the fire – we didn’t have heavy fuels,” he said.

With no moisture in the forecast, Gustafson expects the risk of fire may get worse.

“We could have some critical fire conditions if this heat and dry continue,” he said.

mshinn@durangoherald.com



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