Lightning strikes delayed firefighting response Friday afternoon
A tree on fire put up a column of smoke Friday afternoon in the Bayfield area.
The lightning-caused fire was reported about 4 p.m. near a water tank, said Bruce Evans, chief of the Upper Pine River Fire Protection District. Crews were unable to immediately respond because additional lightning strikes were reported in the area, he said.
Firefighters waited about 20 minutes before responding to the fire for safety reasons, he said.
Evans said he expected the fire in the 600 block of Dove Ranch Road to be extinguished by 6:30 p.m.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
