Several small fires are burning in Colorado. On July 17 the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office released the following Facebook update at 7:47 p.m.: “We had a number of fires start after the storm late yesterday afternoon, which manifested last night and this morning.
“So far, we have three starts within the USFS jurisdiction. Two on Chris Mountain and one in Echo Canyon. The Chris Mountain fires are approximately one acre and three acres respectively, with the Echo Canyon fire approximately one acre. There was also a start on private property in the Chris Mountain area which Pagosa Fire Protection District engaged this morning.
“In summary, San Juan National Forest Pagosa Ranger District, Pagosa Fire Protection District, and Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office are all actively engaged in suppressing fire activity.
Crews in Moffat County are working to contain a 23- acre wildland fire on Bureau of Land Management land in northern Moffat County, according to the BLM.
The fire is burning north of Bakers Peak and about five miles south of the Wyoming border. It was reported to the BLM by Moffat County Emergency Management Coordinator Todd Wheeler just after 1:30 p.m. Sunday, July 17, according to BLM spokesperson Chris Maestas.
He said the fire, now named the Serviceberry Fire, was about 10% contained as of 10:45 a.m. Monday, July 18.
Wheeler, who is also a sergeant in the Moffat County Sheriff’s Office, said they were providing support on the fire, but the BLM is the lead agency.
“It hasn’t threatened any structures,” Wheeler said. “It hasn’t threatened any lives right now, just grass brush and some trees.”
Maestas said two engines, two hand crews and eight “jumpers,” referring to specialized firefighters that parachute in close to fires, are currently working on the blaze.