Upper Pine River Fire Protection District Chief Bruce Evans declared the Blue Ridge Fire fully contained Monday after a speedy response from local, state and federal firefighters over the weekend, according to a news release from La Plata County.
Evacuation and pre-evacuation notices were lifted for the Forest Lakes subdivision, located just west of the blaze, after fire officials determined that no structures were in immediate danger, the release said.
In an Upper Pine Facebook post, the department said the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control‘s Multi-Mission aircraft – a specially outfitted Pilatus PC-12 airplane used to measure the heat of wildfires – flew over the burn site Sunday afternoon, and could find no trace of heat from the burn site.
In the post, the department said it would wait until Monday to declare the burn fully extinguished. After flying a drone equipped with infrared cameras, the department confirmed the burn site had no remaining hot spots, and declared the Blue Ridge Fire extinguished.
Upper Pine Deputy Chief Greg French said fire investigators looking into the cause of the fire were on-scene Saturday. A cause has yet to be announced.
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
