Thunderstorms brought relief to the Stoner Mesa Fire on Friday, dampening flames after a morning of active fire behavior, according to an update Saturday by Rocky Mountain Complex Incident Management Team 1
Clouds and scattered showers moved over the blaze by late afternoon, especially on the east end of the fire, which saw a brief rain that reduced its intensity. Fire managers said monsoonal moisture moving into Southwest Colorado this weekend could produce nearly an inch of rain over the next several days, offering a boost to firefighting efforts.
The Stoner Mesa Fire, about 20 miles northeast of Dolores has charred almost 10,000 acres in the San Juan National Forest and was about 35% contained, officials said Saturday morning.
A community meeting is planned for Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Dolores Community Center, 400 Riverside Ave.
In his morning briefing, Operations Section Chief Matt Weakland said structure protection groups have been working hard in the County Road 38 and Colorado Highway 145 corridors.
They have been clearing vegetation and installing sprinkler systems around cabins and other buildings. By Friday they had reached the West Dolores and Mavreeso campgrounds. The teams will keep moving south, to the junction of Colorado 145 and Forest Road 38.1.
Farther east near Colorado 145, crews conducted fire risk assessments on properties near Rico.
“Our structure protection groups have been very busy last couple of shifts, and we've got all of those structure protection elements in place along County Road 38, and those folks will be going back through today testing all of that equipment,” Wheatland said.
“In the Highway 145 corridor, we got a lot of structure protection equipment out and in place. place in the Stoner area,” he said. “Those pieces will be tested today as well.”
Crews continued to strengthen control lines and extinguish lingering hot spots in multiple divisions around the fire’s perimeter.
On the west flank (Division A/E), firefighters mopped up smoldering timber and brush. Pockets of heat persist in downed logs, but no significant new fire activity was observed, according to lookout reports. Light rain Friday helped keep the fire in check.
On the northeast side (Division T), crews set up a water tank and pump system, and stretched hoses to douse several small spot fires near the containment lines. Firefighters plsn to mop up a gap between bulldozer lines at the end of Forest Road 545D.
In Division X to the south, crews began mop-up operations north of Aspen Reservoir and worked their way south along the established fire line. Firefighters also started a secondary buffer line from an existing dozer line near the southern tip of Stoner Mesa along a ridge toward Colorado Highway 145.
On the southwest perimeter (Division W), crews constructed a hand line from Colorado 145 near Pipe Creek, tying it into County Road 40 just north of the community of Stoner. Teams continue to scout for places to establish a more direct containment line closer to the fire’s edge.
In the meantime, helicopters made water drops on a stubborn spot fire west of Cabin Draw to keep it from spreading. A secondary bulldozer line, planned along a canyon rim and eastward to connect with Forest Road 202, was on track to be finished by day’s end.
In the Stoner Creek area, a specialized Hotshot crew in the “Stoner Group” completed a hand-cut fire line from Stoner Creek up the west side of the canyon, tying it in with an existing dozer line on Stoner Mesa above. The crew also felled numerous hazard trees along that line to reinforce it.
Firefighters plan to cut a secondary line from near the Stoner RV campground, up toward the mesa top, as an added safeguard. In Stoner Canyon, crews cleared brush and set up pumps and hose lays around homes along County Road 40, continuing efforts to protect structures in that area.
A surge of monsoonal moisture is expected Saturday afternoon, bringing higher humidity, rain showers and thunderstorms over the fire area. These storms could deliver lightning, brief moderate downpours, winds of 20 to 30 mph, according to meteorologists. Sunday is expected to bring the highest likelihood of steady, soaking rainfall.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued an air quality health advisory for southeastern Dolores and northeastern Montezuma counties on Saturday morning.
Air quality was rated “very unhealthy” Saturday morning, but was expected to become “good” by late morning. Air quality levels will become very unhealthy overnight Saturday, then improve gradually toward Dolores, where levels were good.
Rain might limit smoke production, but gusty winds could move smoke in unpredictable patterns.
More information
Information phone: 970-341-8668 (new number)
Evacuation alerts: Dolores County Sheriff’s Facebook page
Email: 2025.stonermesa@firenet.gov
InciWeb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/cosjf-stoner-mesa-fire
Facebook: https://facebook.com/StonerMesaFire/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@StonerMesaFire
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/StonerMesaFirePIO
