A lightning-caused wildfire is burning east of Dove Creek and has grown to 60 acres since it was discovered on Saturday, fire officials report.
The Secret Canyon Fire is burning on Bureau of Land Management land in piñon-juniper forests, and is zero percent contained, reports BLM fire specialist Chris Asbjorn.
The fire is being actively suppressed because of nearby private property, power lines and oil and gas facilities.
Two Type 2 hand crews, multiple federal fire engines and a helicopter are battling the fire, which is burning in steep terrain, said Asbjorn. An estimated 90 firefighters are at the scene.
“The fire is moving around quite a bit,” Asbjorn said. “It was moving toward the south, so the helicopter was focusing on water drops there and slowed it down.”
The fire’s location in remote and steep terrain is making it difficult to gain a perimeter line on the fire. On Monday, containment lines were being constructed by fire crews on the fire’s western edge.
So called roll-outs – burning vegetation that rolls down the canyon – have occurred, and are spreading the fire.
Currently there are no area closures associated with the fire. No structures are immediately threatened.
The fire is within 1.5 miles of unoccupied critical habitat of the Gunnison sage grouse, and is 6 miles from occupied critical habitat of the bird, which was recently listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The BLM reported that the fire is not anticipated to threaten Gunnison sage grouse habitat at this time.
“They are trying to suppress this one due to the values at risk,” Abjorn said.
jmimiaga@the-journal.com
