Thursday received rain directly on the Stoner Mesa Fire’s eastern side, with more precipitation in the forecast through Saturday likely to further suppress already dampened flame activity, according to a news release from San Juan Team 8.
The San Juan National Forest opened up both the Priest Gulch Trail and the Calico Trail for public use on Thursday, according to the news release. The U.S. Forest Service also announced Thursday that fire restrictions in the forest would expire Friday.
Crews are taking preventive measures to divert the possibility of erosion on firelines because of rain. Lightning and strong winds from thunderstorms today may also pose some risk to firefighters, causing the incident meteorologist to monitor conditions.
Chances of precipitation from today through Saturday hovers around 30%.
The fire has held steady at 10,249 acres since Aug. 26 and is now just over 50% contained.
Firefighters stay on the lookout for hot spots. On Wednesday, firefighters extinguished two hot spots on the fire’s southern edge. Members of the Columbine UAS Module are sending out a drone today to search for hot spots on the fire’s northern side using infrared sighting. Work to remove fuels along fire line is taking place, as well, with assistance from a wood chipper and masticator.
Several thousand feed of hose line, no longer needed, was removed from the fire’s eastern side yesterday. Helicopters have removed equipment residing atop Taylor Mesa and Stoner Mesa on Thursday and, Structure Protection crews removed unused sprinklers, pumps and tanks along County Road 38 yesterday.
Fire restrictions on all National Forest System lands within the forest, including wilderness, has been rescinded effective Friday.
“Rescinding fire restrictions does not mean that fire danger has been eliminated,” the news release said. “Rain is effective at improving the moisture content of light vegetation like grasses, but trees and brush require more consistent precipitation to recover from drought conditions.” visitors should still be careful with fire.
Forest visitors are encouraged to practice caution.
- Clear all flammable material within three feet of campfire rings.
- Make a fire only if you have a shovel and sufficient water to put it out.
- Never leave a fire unattended, and keep fires small and manageable.
- Extinguish fires completely.
For information on the San Juan National Forest, call (970) 247-4874, visit the forest website, or follow the forest on X and Facebook.
