The Durango Interagency Fire Dispatch Center reports that the smoke in southwestern Colorado is coming from the Assayi Lake 1 Fire, which is burning northwest of Gallup, New Mexico, about 100 miles southwest of Durango. Due to the current weather pattern, residents should expect to see a smoky haze in the area for the next several days from this fire, which was estimated Sunday night at approximately 600 acres. Several hundred firefighters and aircraft are currently assigned to the fire, which is burning in pinon/juniper and brush on the Navajo Nation.
Southwestern Colorado is under a Red Flag Warning Monday and Tuesday, due to forecasted low humidity and high winds. So far this season, the Durango Interagency Fire Dispatch Center has responded to five small fires across public lands in southwestern Colorado. Although no fire restrictions are yet in place, residents and visitors are reminded to be careful with fire.
