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Despite around-the-clock firefighting efforts, officials warned Wednesday that the Aspen Acres fire remains a serious threat to Rye, leaving evacuated residents waiting to learn when it will be safe to return home.
The wildfire, now 99,077 acres, could still make rapid runs toward the community of 200 people if winds align with nearby drainages, fire managers with the Northern Rockies Complex Incident Management Team 6 said after taking command of the fire Wednesday morning. The fire is 36% contained.
County sheriffs and fire managers are reviewing evacuation orders daily as fire conditions change.
“Everyone wants to see residents return home, but not before it is safe to do so,” officials wrote in a Wednesday morning update.
During his final fire briefing Tuesday night, Brad Washa, an operations section chief with the now-departed Alaska team, said crews had set up strong containment lines along much of the fire’s eastern flank and in the town of Beulah, which had previously lost at least 193 homes to the fire.
Firefighters remain focused on decreasing the risk of further spread on the western boundary, Washa said. He added that crews bolstered protections around Bishop Castle on the fire’s western side and planned to further reduce risk to the popular tourist attraction through controlled fires.
“We’ve got a dozer line around there,” Washa said. “We’ve got hose lays in place. We had a bunch of fingers in this area a couple days ago, where the fire did not come to the dozer line nice and cleanly, so we are burning out that area. We’re feeling like that area is going to be out of play in the short term.”
Elsewhere in Colorado, fire conditions improved enough for officials to lift mandatory evacuations Tuesday night for the Green Ridge fire, one of two fires burning in Routt County that ignited within hours of each other Sunday afternoon.
The Green Ridge fire south of Stagecoach Reservoir was estimated at 45 acres Wednesday and 45% contained, according to the Colorado Type 3 Incident Management Team.
Preliminary results show the fire was caused by a tractor bailing hay, the Steamboat Pilot & Today reported. When the tractor operator saw the smoke and subsequent flames, they reported the fire to emergency services, Routt County Sheriff Doug Scherar told the newspaper.
The Fishhook fire, burning north of Rabbit Ears Pass, is still 0% contained. More than 100 people are assigned to the fire that is burning more than a mile from U.S. 40, which remains open, fire officials said.
The fire became active Monday afternoon and grew primarily south. Stagecoach State Park will continue to be closed Wednesday to allow for firefighting efforts, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said.
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Gold Mountain fire
A 50% chance of wetting rain Wednesday could aid firefighters battling the Gold Mountain fire near Ouray, but officials cautioned that any relief may be limited because vegetation remains critically dry.
The fire, which started June 27, is 12% contained and 37,259 acres, according to the Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 2.
Afternoon winds Tuesday pushed the fire back into areas already blackened by the fire and caused smoke to move west into the U.S. 550 corridor and Ridway, officials said in a Wednesday morning update.
Firefighters are improving fire lines along the highway corridor and north along the fire perimeter to Cow Creek. They are using woodchippers to convert shrubs, small trees and brush that were removed while constructing the fire line into woodchips.
Crews are also installing pumps and hoses to protect homes and other values at risk from the fire. Large tanks and pumps are also being installed in areas where no natural water sources exist.
Aerial crews are monitoring the inaccessible southern fire perimeter.
Ferris fire
By Tuesday night, crews reached 43% containment on the Ferris fire burning near Dolores. Fire activity was concentrated in the northwestern part of the fire, which was estimated at 64,869 acres.
Aerial crews continue to drop water on the fire in places firefighters can’t reach on the ground, fire officials said.
Willow fire
The Willow fire burning near Leadville is 6,539 acres and 28% contained.
As of Tuesday night, more than 700 personnel were assigned to the fire. Firefighting efforts have exceeded $16 million, Sheriff Heath Speckman said in a briefing.
Steep, rugged terrain continues to pose challenges to firefighters working to control the flames, especially near Bald Eagle mountain, west of Leadville, officials said Wednesday. Shifting winds, which are expected to pick up this afternoon, are also complicating firefighting efforts.
Investigators ruled out all natural causes that could have started the fire and are continuing to investigate the cause, a spokesperson for the fire told The Sun.
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This is a developing story that will be updated.