Photo: A helicopter is dwarfed by clouds of smoke at the Rio Blanco fire south of Pagosa Springs, August 3, 2026. Photo by LOFR Tim Flanagan.
Acres: 1114
Containment: 11%
Cause: Lightning
Personnel: 373
Community Meeting: A community meeting will be held Tuesday, August 4, at 6pm at the Archuleta County Extension Office, 344 US 84 E. Pagosa Springs, CO 81147. Speakers will include the Archuleta County Sheriff and Rio Blanco Fire Incident Management Team members. Following a short presentation, there will be an opportunity to gather around maps with incident and county personnel to ask questions one-on-one.
Current Situation: Firefighters experienced favorable weather on Sunday that allowed them to make considerable progress on both primary and contingency lines on the east and west flanks. The potential thunderstorms and their associated outflow winds did not develop, as they had the day before. Given the weather forecast into the coming week, it’s possible that fuel conditions could start to break records for dryness, especially in the type of heavy dead and down timber present in the fire area.
Helicopters worked around the clock during daylight hours cooling the fire that jumped the dozer line into Frio Canyon on Saturday, allowing firefighters and heavy equipment to get in and put line directly around it. In Division M, crews completed structure protection and line prep measures and prepared for another evening firing operation. This plan has been several days in the making and Sunday night operations were successful in bringing fire down within a few hundred yards of firelines south of the homes in these neighborhoods. Farther west on CR335, in Division Foxtrot, engine crews spent the day installing plumbing, pumps, and sprinkler kits for structure protection.
Monday’s Operations: Firefighters have six helicopters at their disposal to support operations today, as well as several air tankers available in the region. The Unmanned Aerial System (UAS – drone) module will remain available for several more shifts for continued firing or infrared imaging operations, if firefighters need it to achieve objectives. Ground resources will continue working towards containment, going direct whenever possible. One crew will be committed to mopping up a small spot fire about 1⁄2 mile east of the main fire area that night shift crews caught and lined.
Closures/Evacuations: The Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office has issued an evacuation order for County Road 335 Lower Blanco, and pre-evacuation orders in place for County Road 337, 339, and Pinion Hills area along County Road 500. Contact the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office at (970) 508-9928 for more information about evacuations and private land closures. The San Juan National Forest has multiple road closures in place, including the Valle Seco Road (NFSR 653).
Weather: High pressure will remain parked over the west, keeping mostly dry, warm, and breezy conditions in place, nearing Red Flag Conditions. Isolated afternoon storms are possible this weekend during the afternoon mainly over the eastern San Juans with lightning and gusty outflow winds to 40 mph the primary concerns. Moisture may increase mid to late next week with potential for increasing storm coverage.
Reminder: If you fly, we can’t. A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in place over the fire area. Private aircraft, including drones, are not allowed.
For official fire information follow the Rio Blanco Fire InciWeb