The 441 Fire burning on Missionary Ridge grew by 25 acres from Friday to Saturday, a low-intensity and naturally-caused wildfire lingering and smoldering in logs and dead debris north of Durango, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Wildland firefighters torched “small green islands of fuel along the southwest containment line” Friday and watched as the fire burned north “and slowed even further in that area,” growing to 325 acres by Saturday afternoon, according to a news release from the Forest Service.
“The 441 is being managed to allow naturally-caused fires like this one to remove excess fuels and reduce the risk of severe, high-intensity wildfire in the future,” the Forest Service said.
Wildland managers expect windy conditions around the fire until predicted monsoonal moisture befalls Southwest Colorado on Monday, according to the news release.
“An Area Closure is still in effect between First Fork and Red Creek Trails, as well as Missionary Ridge Trail between those trail intersections,” the Forest Service wrote.
