Firefighters are managing a 15-acre fire southeast of Bayfield that will be allowed to burn to help improve the health of the landscape.
The 577 Fire will burn for the next two or three weeks and will send up smoke visible from U.S. Highway 160, said Ian Barrett, fire management specialist with the Bureau of Land Management Southwest Colorado Fire and Aviation Management Unit.
“It’s been growing steadily,” he said.
A Durango Interagency Type 3 team is managing the fire that was started by lightning Sunday afternoon, he said. The team has not projected a final size for the fire.
Existing trails, roads and previous prescribed fire lines will be used to contain the fire, he said.
About 100 people are assigned to manage the fire, he said.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
