Wildfire – The Durango Herald

Pre-evacuations lifted as firefighters control Durango’s Perins Peak Fire

County roads 206 and 208 are no longer under notice; crews secure northern edge of blaze

DATE: May 27, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Firefighters gain upper hand on Perins Peak Fire, but weekend weather raises concern

‘The likelihood of it being a lightning-caused fire is slim to none,’ official says

DATE: May 25, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Perins Peak Fire prompts pre-evacuation order; blaze estimated at 105 acres

Air resources diverted from Pagosa Springs

DATE: May 24, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Photos: Perins Peak Fire starts west of Durango

DATE: May 24, 2022 | CATEGORY: Gallery

Priceless seeds, sprouts key to West’s post-fire future

A New Mexico facility where researchers work to restore forests devastated by fires faced an almost cruelly ironic threat: The largest wildfire burning in the U.S. was fast approaching. Owen...

DATE: May 23, 2022 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

Firefighters aided by cool, cloudy weather in battle against Plumtaw Fire near Pagosa Springs

Blaze was 721 acres with 33% containment as of Monday

DATE: May 23, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

La Plata County joins other land agencies in implementing fire restrictions earlier than planned

Stage 1 precautions effective Thursday morning

DATE: May 19, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Crews slow New Mexico fires, brace for dangerous conditions

ALBUQUERQUE – More than 2,000 firefighters battling the largest U.S. wildfire dug back-up fire lines and rearranged fire engines around homes in northeast New Mexico on Wednesday in anticipa...

DATE: May 18, 2022 | CATEGORY: New Mexico

Wildfire near Pagosa Springs slows, but red flag warning issued for Thursday

Plumtaw Fire grows slightly as crews battle the blaze into Wednesday

DATE: May 18, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Durango railroad pauses operations amid fire danger

Last weekend marked the first time this year trains have stopped running because of wildfire risk

DATE: May 17, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

Firefighters battle 600-acre wildfire north of Pagosa Springs

Small subdivision evacuated as Plumtaw Fire rips through Forest Service lands

DATE: May 17, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

DFPD says Ute Pass Fire northeast of Durango was accidental, human-caused

A heavy-duty brush mower started the roughly 30-acre blaze

DATE: May 17, 2022 | CATEGORY: Local News

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Photos: Parade launches 2024 Connie Mack World Series in FarmingtonFans line street as players march on Main Damp, overcast weather cooled off the crowd lining Main Street on Friday morning for the 2024 Connie Mack World Series Parade. The hourlong parade began shortly after 10 a.m. in front of an enthusiastic crowd.

Fans line street as players march on Main

Photos: ‘Mini Takes the States’ tour stops in DurangoHundreds of Mini Cooper vehicles occupy Fort Lewis College on Sunday; Participants began the journey in Albuquerque and will finish in Seattle

Hundreds of Mini Cooper vehicles occupy Fort Lewis College on Sunday; Participants began the journey in Albuquerque and will finish in Seattle

Photos: Boxing returns to DurangoAnimus on the Animas: 1st Annual Durango Boxing Classic at the Durango Main Mall on Saturday

Animus on the Animas: 1st Annual Durango Boxing Classic at the Durango Main Mall on Saturday

Photos and video: Going for the gold by devouring piesContestants try their best to win the Oscar’s Pie Eating Contest on Friday in Durango

Contestants try their best to win the Oscar’s Pie Eating Contest on Friday in Durango

Photo: Fireworks light the sky in DurangoDurango celebrates Independence Day on Thursday night

Durango celebrates Independence Day on Thursday night

Photos: Working with woodLocal craftsman uses wood joinery, rather than nails or screws to construct homes and other structures

Local craftsman uses wood joinery, rather than nails or screws to construct homes and other structures

2024 Fourth of July Parade draws crowd Thursday in downtown Durango

Photos: Downtown Durango hosts Fourth of July ParadeDowntown sidewalks were full for Thursday’s celebration

Downtown sidewalks were full for Thursday’s celebration

Durango Rotary Club, Parks and Recreation department host Independence Day events

Law enforcement conducts active threat training at Park Elementary SchoolResidents may see and hear police activity Thursday and Friday

Law enforcement agencies across Southwest Colorado sent officers to participate in active threat training this week at Park Elementary School in Durango. Those in the neighborhood can expect police vehicles parked on the premises, officers in tactical gear conducting exercises inside and outside the school, and signs advising that training is in progress. The sounds of shouting, airsoft weapons and the popping of a starter pistol will also be audible near the school, said Karla Sluis, spokeswoman for Durango School District 9-R.Sluis said that members of the school district’s safety department have gone door-to-door with flyers notifying residents around Park Elementary School about the training.

Hosted by the Durango Police Department and the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office, this week’s voluntary training invited officers from law enforcement agencies across a five-county region of Southwest Colorado encompassing La Plata, Archuleta, San Juan, Montezuma and Dolores counties.

La Plata County Sheriff’s Office deputy Durango Police Department Deputy Mike Latham, lead instructor for this week's training, said Wednesday and the first half of Thursday were mostly preparatory, teaching officers the school’s layout and devising scenarios, whereas the latter half of Thursday and Friday residents should anticipate some noise as active threat scenarios play out.

Latham said active threat training teaches officers proper protocol during active threat scenarios, especially in densely populated areas where they have become increasingly common.Park Elementary School is not the only Durango School District facility law enforcement has conducted active threat training. Latham said schools lend themselves well to this sort of training because, “It gives us all kinds of doors to work on, different rooms, different scenarios we can run. We can pretend it’s a mall with nice big corridors, we can even pretend it’s an outdoor area in the gymnasium.”Latham has participated in active threat training multiple times in the past and described the drills as exhilarating and nerve-wracking. He said one of the training’s main goals is teaching officers how to manage stress and remain calm with lives on the line.

“I take a pulse oximeter in the morning and get a baseline on their heart rates,” Latham said. “And sometimes, just before they’re about to engage a threat, I say ‘Timeout.’ Put it (the oximeter) on there, and their heart rate’s skyrocketed to 140, 150, 160 just in training.”

Latham said throughout his career active threat training has evolved to become safer for officers and fall in line with increasingly professional police standards.“When I first started we were just running into halls and rooms hoping for the best,” Latham said. “Now the tactic is still to get there, still stop the taking of lives, but tactics are much better than they were 20 years ago.”

Residents may see and hear police activity Thursday and Friday

Pre-evacuations lifted as firefighters control Durango’s Perins Peak Fire

Firefighters gain upper hand on Perins Peak Fire, but weekend weather raises concern

Perins Peak Fire prompts pre-evacuation order; blaze estimated at 105 acres

Photos: Perins Peak Fire starts west of Durango

Priceless seeds, sprouts key to West’s post-fire future

Firefighters aided by cool, cloudy weather in battle against Plumtaw Fire near Pagosa Springs

La Plata County joins other land agencies in implementing fire restrictions earlier than planned

Crews slow New Mexico fires, brace for dangerous conditions

Wildfire near Pagosa Springs slows, but red flag warning issued for Thursday

Durango railroad pauses operations amid fire danger

Firefighters battle 600-acre wildfire north of Pagosa Springs

DFPD says Ute Pass Fire northeast of Durango was accidental, human-caused

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