The Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office and Rio Blanco Fire Incident Management will co-host a community meeting for a live presentation on the Rio Blanco Fire status tomorrow, Tuesday, August 4, at 6pm at the Archuleta County Extension Office, 344 U.S. 84.
Speakers will include the Archuleta County Sheriff, Rio Blanco Fire Incident and Management teammembers.
Following a short presentation, there will be an opportunity to gather around maps with incident and county personnel to ask questions one-on-one. Virtual streaming will be available on Facebook via the San Juan National Forest page. A Facebook account will not be required to view the presentation.
From Inciweb, Sunday, August 2:
Acres: 1,069
Containment: 10%
Cause: Lightning
Personnel: 335
Current Situation
The Rio Blanco Fire is burning approximately 12 miles south of Pagosa Springs, CO, south of Eightmile Mesa. Saturday, outflow winds from a passing thunderstorm pushed fire west into Frio Canyon but not directly toward homes. Airtankers dropped retardant to slow the spread as crews scouted options for engagement and continued constructing fireline. On the fire’s southern flank, along Forest Road 653 and 653.B, fire behavior increased with outflow winds, but the established containment lines held.
Crews set up pumps, hoses, and sprinklers, and constructed fireline south of the communities in Lower Blanco, in preparation for fire continuing the back down the rim. Throughout the day yesterday, some “fingers” of fire were moving downslope more rapidly than others, increasing the chances that fire could make powerful uphill runs in the adjacent unburned vegetation. To reduce this risk of uphill runs, which could throw embers and start spot fires throughout the Lower Blanco, a drone was used for aerial ignitions to straighten out the head of the fire into a continuous line.
Shortly after dark, a specialized team of drone pilots flew their Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) along the rim and filled in the unburned patches in a slow, intentional manner, with firefighters on the ground ready to intervene, if needed. Performing firing operations in this way kept fire on the ground, instead of up in the canopy where natural fire with greater intensity behind it could risk compromising the firelines. The fire has not yet reached the valley bottom, and UAS may be used again today if the progression downhill becomes uneven. This strategy has the greatest chance of success to keep the fire’s inevitable downhill progression low-intensity and consistent.
Sunday’s Operations
San Juan Team 8 is working closely with partner agencies, developing strategies to keep fire west of US HWY 84 and protect communities in the Lower Blanco and the 84 corridor. The firelines on the east flank are holding. Overnight, fire became established on the western flank in Frio Canyon following yesterday’s wind event, and today crews will begin efforts to stop the fire from progressing farther west, with hotshot crews digging direct line where possible and the construction of indirect dozer line farther away from the fire’s edge as a contingency. Engine crews will begin structure protection measures around the westernmost properties along County Road 335.
As the fire continues moving slowly down the rim above Aspen and Rainbow Roads, engines and crews are observing its progress while drone operators stand by in case they need to straighten out uneven fire progression, as they did last night. Because the rim terrain is too steep for dozers and since hand-dug fireline would not hold successfully mid-slope, fire crews must wait for the fire to come all the way down the slope before tying it into hand and dozer lines there. While it may be a frustratingly slow strategy, the fact that fire is progressing slowly at the head greatly increases firefighters’ probability of success.
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
Saturday’s weather was hot, dry and breezy, with a thunderstorm’s outflow winds pushing the fire west. Today, weather will be similar, with near critical fire weather conditions, including temperatures about ten degrees above normal. The fire area is in continued drought, with significant precipitation deficits.
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 theRio Blanco Fire InciWeb