{"id":138969,"date":"2026-07-14T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/inside-the-camp-supporting-1000-personnel-on-ferris-fire\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T05:06:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T11:06:19","slug":"inside-the-camp-supporting-1000-personnel-on-ferris-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/inside-the-camp-supporting-1000-personnel-on-ferris-fire\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the camp supporting 1,000 personnel on Ferris Fire"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Firefighters
Firefighters and management crews meet for a briefing at the Ferris Fire incident campsite, which was move-in day Saturday, at the Dolores County Fairgrounds 6 miles outside Dove Creek. Smoke hangs in the air before crews head out in each division for another day of wildfire suppression operations. (Anna Watson\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Fire crews at the Dolores County Fairgrounds began to stir early Saturday in preparation for a day battling heavy smoke and extreme dryness.<\/p>\n

Trucks skirted along the dusty expanse, while larger engines idled between rows of trailers and a group of uniform yurts.<\/p>\n

At 7 a.m., hundreds donning cargo slacks assembled in front of a wall-sized plywood board and PA system. Cooler temperatures provided some relief at the initial morning briefing before the heat landed.<\/p>\n

\"Officials
Officials describe the campground as a \u201cwell-oiled machine\u201d and functioning like a self-sufficient city, expanding and shrinking as needed. (Anna Watson\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A fire official studies the operational map Saturday mounted to a temporary wall at the incident base. (Anna Watson\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

A map on the board traced the Ferris Fire\u2019s perimeter and its divisions \u2013 some where firefighters are working toward containment and others that are too steep and treacherous, such as Dolores Canyon, where flames can take aggressive uphill sprints.<\/p>\n

The logistical base outside Dove Creek now supports more than 1,000 personnel \u2013 nearly doubling the town\u2019s population. It is equipped with everything essential to keep the sprawling wildfire fight going. As of Monday, the wildfire was at 64,660 acres and 29% containment, according to a Ferris Fire Information news release.<\/p>\n

\u201cCamp logistics is basically its own little freestanding city,\u201d said San Juan National Forest spokesman Morgan Bennett, explaining everything runs off trailers, including a mobile medical unit, laundry services and catering.<\/p>\n

\"Trailers,
Trailers, tents and yurts are more than sleeping quarters. The base serves as a logistical hub closer to the wildfire where meals are prepared, equipment repaired and medical care provided. (Anna Watson\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The camp is equipped with shower and bathroom facilities, its own security patrol, a stockpile of supplies and an entire section devoted to higher management, including accommodations for Ferris Fire\u2019s commanders, planners, information team and firefighter registration or checkout.<\/p>\n

Built in three days, the site is an extension of California Interagency Incident Management Team 7. Team 7 is a pre-built organization that brought 120 members who are trained from all over and deploy nationally to bring structural organization to emergencies like wildfires, hurricanes or providing security at big events, such as the Boston Marathon.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s based from the U.S. Navy way of doing things. All these operations are built to expand or shrink as needed and it\u2019s very functional; we all work the exact same way,\u201d said Melanie Banton, a California Team 7 spokesperson.<\/p>\n

\"The
The perimeter of the Ferris Fire is divided among numerous divisions. Moving operations from Montezuma-Cortez High School and consolidating closer to Dove Creek reduces drive time, said incident commander Tom Clemo. (Anna Watson\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Because
Because there is a large amount of food and supplies on-site, security helps manage the presence of animals drawn to the area or guard any valuables left behind. \u201cIt also provides a little bit of piece of mind to people that are working really long shifts in really hot weather and dangerous conditions,\u201d said spokeswoman Morgan Bennett on Saturday. (Anna Watson\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Strict protocols are in place, such as mandatory hand-washing before meals to prevent sickness from spreading through the close-knit quarters. For firefighters, who often sleep in pitched tents, working conditions are more or less 16-hour shifts and the return to camp is a debate between showering or sacrificing sleep.<\/p>\n

The Ferris Fire has engulfed parts of the San Juan National Forest, Bureau of Land Management land and some private land. It represents a complex of three different lightning-sparked wildfires that started June 27 and merged into one blaze northwest of Dolores.<\/p>\n

Early on, strong winds drove fire growth; high heat, low nighttime humidity and dry fuels continue to fed it. The level of severity largely depends on each section\u2019s topography, fuel type and weather.<\/p>\n

A newer control line has been established to the west along Dolores River Canyon rim, while Monday morning\u2019s update from Ferris Fire Information stated the northwestern potion of the fire remains active throughout day and overnight.<\/p>\n

\"During
During Saturday morning\u2019s briefing, incident commander Tom Clemo warned that the combination of unfamiliar country and extreme weather is deeply concerning, making safety the top priority. \u201cDon\u2019t put yourself in positions that are going to get you in that kind of place. That includes driving there. It includes working out there, and it includes coming back. Our intent is to take care of you when you\u2019re out there. Have a safe shift today. We'll see you again here tomorrow,\u201d Clemo said Saturday. (Anna Watson\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cOver the next couple of days, we have some pretty significant weather coming in,\u201d said lead incident commander Tom Clemo in a Facebook video. \u201cWe are at critical levels across the landscape. The next couple of days are important to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

He urged residents in the Ready, Set or Go evacuation zones to pay close attention to notices over coming days and be prepared to evacuate if instructed.<\/p>\n

Crews are constructing and improving contingency lines to the fire\u2019s northwestern portion, conducting firing operations and mopping up hot spots, according to a Monday news release. While sections to the south and southeast have containment, firefighters are monitoring those perimeters to improve the line if needed.<\/p>\n

Management was shifted to Team 7 early last week, handed over from the local type-three incident managers, San Juan Team 8.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe received a lot of questions from the public, especially in Dove Creek, because they were concerned about the loss of the local team. A very big piece of that is Team 7 is very well equipped to manage incidents of this complexity,\u201d Bennett said.<\/p>\n

Many of San Juan Team 8 members integrated into the larger operation, as seen around camp Saturday, such as information personnel, forest biologists and fireline archeologists.<\/p>\n

While firefighters generally serve 14 or 21-day assignments before rotating out, the camp itself remains as long as it\u2019s required. Significant variables \u2013 for example a sudden burst of rain \u2013 can quickly change the fire\u2019s dynamics or even reduce it, but \u201chow it\u2019s going\u201d or what\u2019s at stake for the future remains up in the air.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have extreme fuel conditions, extreme weather and extreme topography, and while there\u2019s a lot of growth to this camp, that doesn\u2019t mean the fire is growing or out of control. It just means that this is what it takes to manage it,\u201d Bennett said.<\/p>\n

\"A
A daily report, pictured, relays information every morning to fire crews and staff via dozens of sheets, featuring objectives broken down by division, the incident meteorologist\u2019s concerns, as well as general camp announcements. (Anna Watson\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Rita Frederick, an interpretive specialist for the Dillon Ranger District of the White River National Forest, was called up to work as a PIO for the Snyder Fire on the Colorado-Utah border that started June 27.<\/p>\n

She said as more containment was established, she got in her car driving \u201conto the next thing\u201d as she was quickly reassigned to help out at the Ferris Fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always like a shifting target,\u201d Frederick said. \u201cThat\u2019s why we have a system in place. There\u2019s always the same objectives: property protection, resource protection, people protection and ultimately putting the fire out.\u201d<\/p>\n

awatson@the-journal.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2018Little freestanding city\u2019 includes showers, laundry services, catering, a medical unit and security<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":138970,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5736,5735],"tags":[1820,837,28,60,29,199,6419,84],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-138969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","category-news","tag-dh-trueanthem","tag-dolores-county","tag-headlines","tag-montezuma-county","tag-newsletter","tag-san-juan-national-forest","tag-tj-trueanthem","tag-wildfire"],"acf":[],"author_name":"Website Administrator","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138969"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138969\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":138971,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138969\/revisions\/138971"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/138970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138969"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=138969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}