Containment of the 323-acre Elkhorn Fire is at 5%, officials said, and firefighting efforts have been slow because of the rough terrain and uncertain weather.
About 60 concerned community members gathered in the Animas Valley Elementary School gym Wednesday night for an information session about the fire.
The public meeting covered the history of the fire, the different entities involved, the status of containment and what the general public can do to stay safe and aid firefighters in their efforts.
Incident commander Nate Christiansen said the best thing Durango residents can do is be patient and trust firefighters to do their job.
“The term that we use is living with fire,” he said. “Whether fire is moving on the landscape or smoking on the interior, this is all part of this process. Trust the system and also know that we’re there. This is our job. We are professionals and our main objective is to keep people safe.”
Christiansen said engines are patrolling the Elkhorn and Celadon subdivisions to ensure no houses burn down, and fire crews are working to establish and maintain fire lines with both hand crews and bulldozers. But the going has been slow, he said. The fire moved into the Bear Creek Drainage on Sunday night, a steep, thickly-vegetated canyon that is highly hazardous for firefighters.
A Thursday morning update on Watch Duty, a fire monitoring app, said two additional interagency hotshot crews and a wildland fire module began containment work in Bear Creek with the assistance of five helicopters. It said crews made good progress in adding fire lines, as well as extinguishing spot fires close to the lines.
Dave Dillon, a longtime resident who attended the event, said the terrain in Bear Creek is remarkably difficult to travel through, let alone without having to cut hand lines to fight a wildfire.
“I appreciate their reservation,” he said. “I’ve been in Bear Creek a dozen times on foot, and you’ll go where the terrain will let you go, not where you want to go. That’s how steep and rugged it is.”
Weather has also not been on their side, either, Christiansen said. Despite scattered rain storms, monsoonal moisture has failed to appear, and a hot, dry spell of weather is forecast for the foreseeable future, he said. Additionally, scattered thunderstorms create outflow winds, powerful localized gusts that can reignite flames, spread hot embers into new terrain and knock over trees – conditions that are dangerous for firefighters.
“We’re calling it 5% contained to err on the side of caution, due to your drying trend coming up and the proximity of the houses at risk,” he said.
Even though there have been some rainstorms in the region lately, Black urged residents to adhere to fire restrictions throughout the region. He pointed out that his and other agencies are still finding unattended campfires, despite the heightened fire risk. Any fire started by people, Black said, will delay the response to Elkhorn, because the agencies focusing on the fire would have to divide their resources to fight a new wildfire.
“We’re not out of the woods at all with this fire,” Black said. “It’s likely to pick back up early next week with the forecast. It’s keeping fires from happening is the key. So whatever people can be to be just super cautious as we head into the in the summer is super important.”
To receive updates about containment of the fire or evacuation notices, residents can download the Code Red app, Watch Duty app. Up-to-date information can also be found on the Elkhorn Fire Information Facebook Page.
