The Stoner Mesa Fire, burning in the San Juan National Forest northeast of Dolores, has spread to about 500 acres and has forced mandatory evacuations including the Mavreeso Campground and Taylor Mesa and Stoner Mesa roads.
Firefighters responded, and Dolores and Montezuma County sheriffs were coordinating the evacuations at the county line.
San Juan Team 8, a local Type 3 Incident Management Team, will be reassigned to the Stoner Mesa after wrapping up operations on the Elkhorn Fire, burning north of Durango.
The fire was first reported Tuesday about 20 miles northeast of Dolores and west of Rico. It is “exhibiting extreme fire behavior” as it moved east, according to a news release from the U.S. Forest Service.
The orders for mandatory evacuations include Forest Service Roads 686, 545 and all connecting roads and the Mavreeso, West Dolores and Burro Bridge campgrounds along the West Dolores River.
The Forest Service added that the Dolores and Montezuma sheriffs assisted with evacuation efforts, including helicopters ensuring that campers and others in the area for recreation were removed.
As of Tuesday at 8:19 p.m., the fire was uncontained and reported to be burning in a remote area with “heavy dead and downed trees,” making it difficult for firefighters to get to the fire by foot or road. Along with firefighters on the scene, there are also multiple airtankers, an air attack aerial supervision plane and two helicopters.
“The fire is very remote and inaccessibility on foot or road due to heavy dead and down trees,” the Forest Service said. “As of Tuesday evening, the fire is still actively burning and demonstrating extreme fire behavior in mixed conifer and aspen forest.”
The cause of the fire is unknown at this time, and is still under investigation. The fire has not reached Stoner Creek, and there have been no injuries or structural damage reported, as of this writing.
Updates on the fire can be found by visiting the Stoner Mesa Fire website at www.inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/cosjf-stoner-mesa-fire.
The Stoner Mesa Fire is one of three fires in Montezuma and Dolores counties. The Waters Canyon Fire, burning on the Ute Mountain Ute edge of Mesa Verde National Park, has burned about 200 acres. North of Cahone, the Sharp Canyon Fire has burned more than 400 acres, but officials expect to fully contain the fire’s footprint this weekend.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
