Fire crews have stopped the growth of the 114-acre Rim Road Fire south of the Durango-La Plata County Airport, bringing containment to 25% as of Monday afternoon, according to the Southern Ute Indian Tribe.
Evacuation notices were lifted for residents at 1 p.m. Monday.
Firefighters from multiple county, tribal and federal agencies worked to box-in the fire using aircraft, bulldozers and hand-dug lines, said Summer Begay, spokeswoman for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. The fire did not escape its initial perimeter, Begay said, and crews are now able to focus on extinguishing hot spots within the burn area – though they are wary of any changes in wind.
“With the number of crews and resources, they feel pretty well prepared to be able to respond to any changes,” she said.
Los Pinos Fire Protection District battalion chief Scot Davis said firefighters were able to respond quickly to the blaze, which started Saturday afternoon. Under the leadership of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Southern Ute Agency, his firefighters were mobilized to stop the spread of the blaze.
“On Saturday, they got it boxed in with established lines, and then on Sunday and through this week, the goal is to put out any spot fires and get the whole thing cooled down,” Davis said.
Davis said when Los Pinos responded to the fire at 3:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon with two brush trucks and five personnel, fire crews from the BIA had already responded to the blaze. So, Los Pinos firefighters began working under BIA command to stop the spread of the fire.
Dan Dosch, Los Pinos wildland fire captain, said crews immediately began using bulldozers and hand tools Saturday to create lines around the burn, with support from aircraft that dropped slurry. Now that the fire has settled down, he said, crews are working to provide water sources to the perimeter of the fire.
“On the north side, we got a hose leg going downhill with one of the Type 3 engines pumping water to the hand crews who are mopping as far as they can go,” Dosch said. “On Zulu side, which is the south side of the fire, they will pick up a bunch more hose, because they’re going to plumb that side too, and start doing the same thing.”
Dosch said he expects the south side of the fire to be plumbed by Tuesday. Davis said that once the main burns are extinguished, the main concern are ground fires igniting in the layer of pine needles, fallen branches and other organic material on the forest floor above the topsoil.
Davis said the fire started Saturday on the rim of a hill near County Road 318, and quickly spread through the surrounding dry piñon pine, juniper and sagebrush. No structures were destroyed by the fire.
“With the crews on the ground and the air, we were able to contain a fire that could have easily crossed 318, given the area that was in,” Davis said. “So, a lot of good work, a lot of good hard work in a very timely fashion.”
Begay urged residents and visitors to adhere to the county’s stage 1 fire restrictions, which prohibit campfires and grilling outside of approved fire pits, grills or stoves.
She also said that the cause of the fire is under investigation, and to look for updates on the Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s Facebook page, or to call (970) 553-0052.
