Firefighters continue their restraint on the Stoner Mesa Fire, now at 9,913 acres and 27% containment, with the majority of activity persisting on the western side.
Thunderstorm-induced outflow winds from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. coupled with limited rain and persistently dry fuels may give the fire a leg up, but line-building efforts still remain a primary tactic. Cloud cover yesterday helped keep the fire’s growth minimal.
Keeping in line with active community engagement, the third public meeting for the Stoner Mesa Fire is planned for Sunday, Aug. 24 in Dolores, with details coming later.
Nearly 830 personnel are actively addressing the fire, up from about 660 Monday. An Unmanned Aerial System module – a drone – is reportedly being brought in to assist with the fire’s latest uptick.
Spotting on the fire’s western side around Stoner Creek remains a risk.
A newly built dozer line along the Stoner Mesa Trail is finished, running east from Stoner Mesa Reservoir south to the edge of the Stoner Creek drainage. Firefighters are weighing the option of controlled burns to strip away fuels from the fire line to the canyon’s rim.
Growth on the fire’s north side remains limited, but a significant degree of mop-up work is needed along the area’s containment line.
The fire’s eastern edge is still in a mop-up stage, with more water devices being brought in to assist. Small spot fires have been reported in the area.
To the fire’s west, a dozer line atop the Stoner Mesa was connected to a hand line coming up from the Stoner Creek drainage.
A spot fire on the eastern side of Stoner Creek and west of Cabin Draw was identified yesterday, resulting in crews who hiked in to assess the flames. Lacking a high risk of spread due to surrounding fuels make up of aspen stands, crews are working today on a containment plan.
Scouting crews still seek out a viable opportunity for connecting a hand line from Stoner Creek up to Taylor Mesa.
Further dozer work is planned for the area from the fire edge’s close to Fox Den Reservoir toward Road 202.
Crews have finished installing portable water tanks and hoses along County Road 38 from Dunton to the Blue Spruce Glen community. More structure protection efforts are underway along County Road 38, while other groups work to safeguard properties on Colorado Highway 145 in the Stoner area, specifically around the RV park.
As for smoke, air quality index levels for Cortez will be Moderate to Good, while Dolores will have Unhealthy to Good levels.
Visit the Stoner Mesa Fire Information Facebook page for more updates.
