Here are some quick tidbits this morning about the 416 Fire, burning about 13 miles north of Durango. This continues to be a developing story, and news may change and more information becomes available. But here is what we know so far:
Fire officials will have a meeting at 8 a.m. to assess the situation, what happened overnight and what they expect to do today. After that meeting, they will brief media. That is when we will have an updated story online.
U.S. Highway 550 remains closed just north of Hermosa around Honeyville to just south of Purgatory. All traffic should take different routes west, including Highway 145 Lizard Head Pass: Highway 62 Ridgway to Placerville; Highway 145 Placerville to Dolores; Highway 184 Dolores to Mancos; Highway 160 Mancos to Durango.
#SWCODOT #US550_416FIRE UPDATE: US 550 remains CLOSED this morning north of Durango. The images here are from our https://t.co/bjBVfjLWOG webcam located 6 miles north of Hermosa. Thru Travelers CONSIDER WESTERLY ALTERNATE ROUTE through CO 145 Lizard Head Pass, Dgo to Ridgway. pic.twitter.com/0SHLdVxojR
— CDOT (@ColoradoDOT) June 2, 2018
The fire is burning on the west side of U.S. Highway 550 on private land and has burned onto the San Juan National Forest. The cause of the fire is unknown. The fire is burning only on the west side of Highway 550. It has not “jumped” the highway to the east side.Stage 2 fire restrictions remain in place.
The smoke plume is shifting southward as it interacts with a passing trough to the north. As local winds shift downvalley after sunset...smoke from the #416Fire could impact the Hermosa to Durango corridor overnight #cowx pic.twitter.com/fGkj8v2cdA
— NWS Grand Junction (@NWSGJT) June 2, 2018
According to the National Weather Service, the forecast for today is sunny, with a high near83. North-northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south southwest in the afternoon. Tonight there is a 40 percent chance of showers, mainly after 5 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 46. South-southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast after midnight.To get a view from various webcams around the area, visit https://durangoherald.com/webcams.The fire is now recorded and being updated on InciWeb, an interagency incident information management system. According to InciWeb, 149 personnel are working on the fire.Public Health Recommendations: If smoke is thick or becomes thick in your neighborhood you may want to remain indoors. This is especially true for those with heart disease, respiratory illnesses, the very young, and the elderly. Consider limiting outdoor activity when moderate to heavy smoke is present. Consider relocating temporarily if smoke is present indoors and is making you ill. If visibility is less than 5 miles in smoke in your neighborhood, smoke has reached levels that are unhealthy.Outlook: Areas of moderate to heavy smoke from the 416 Fire located 10 miles to the north of Durango will move toward the south during the early morning hours on Saturday, shifting to move in an east to northeast direction throughout the day and through Saturday evening. This will mainly impact rural parts of northeastern La Plata and southern San Juan counties. Winds are expected to turn calm overnight Saturday night. As the winds calm, smoke could drain southward along the Animas River and produce moderate to heavy smoke overnight through Sunday morning in more populated areas such as Hermosa and Durango.
