52 homes evacuated, more on alert from Elkhorn and Rim Road fires

Evacuees directed to Escalante Middle School shelter
Wildland firefighters head out on the Elkhorn Fire on Sunday. The fire started Saturday after a home under construction caught fire and spread to the wildland on Missionary Ridge north of Durango. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)

The Rim Road and Elkhorn fires have prompted the evacuation of a combined 52 homes. Evacuees from both places are encouraged to shelter at Escalante Middle School at 141 Baker Lane if they don’t have anywhere else to go, said Ted Holteen, spokesman for La Plata County.

The 112-acre Rim Road Fire, south of the Durango-La Plata County Airport, has triggered the evacuation of 11 homes. The Elkhorn Fire on Missionary Ridge, has led to 41 homes being evacuated, with another 34 under pre-evacuation notice, Holteen said.

Firefighters continue to battle the Elk Horn Fire, which remains 0% contained and has grown to around 200 acres as of this evening. While no further evacuations have been ordered, current efforts are focused on halting the fire’s forward progress toward critical infrastructure rather than achieving full containment said Lorena Williams, Elk Horn Fire spokesperson.

None of the growth has been in the directing of infrastucture or homes.

Crews have applied heavy retardant to the north flank of the fire, particularly as it approaches the Bear Creek drainage, and on the southern flank, a recent firing operation has helped secure the fire line, in hopes it will lead to increased containment in the coming days she added.

Cooler evening temperatures and increased humidity are expected to help the fire die down Williams said. Crews will be on scene throughout the evening.

Holteen encouraged people to visit readylaplata.com for evacuation maps. Residents can also get updates on fire conditions and evacuations via the Elkhorn Fire Information Facebook page and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe Facebook page. They can also call (970) 385-8700 for more information.

An evacuation map for the Elkhorn Fire. The green parts of the map are areas currently under mandatory evacuation, while the yellow parts are under pre-evacuation notice. (Maps obtained from readylaplatacounty.org)

Holteen urged residents not to call 911 or local dispatch to report the fires and to stay out of the way of first responders working to contain the blazes.

“Just steer clear and let folks do their jobs,” Holteen said. “Nobody should be driving up in those areas to go see what a fire looks like or anything like that. Don’t get in the way of emergency vehicles.”

Weather conditions are expected to remain hot, dry and windy until at least Tuesday, meaning the wildfire danger remains high, said Kris Sanders, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Grand Junction.

A helicopter drops water on the Elkhorn Fire on Sunday. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)

The good news, Sanders said, is that the wind will die down Monday as the jetstream shifts. Moisture is expected to return Tuesday and Wednesday, though most of the rain will be above 8,000 feet in elevation.

“Just know that the next couple days are going to be particularly dry and with some wind,” Sanders said. “So that’s something just to be concerned as far as starting any fires and sparking condition of dry vegetation.”

According to the Elkhorn Fire Information Facebook page, the Elkhorn Fire was reported Saturday after a house caught fire and the flames spread to surrounding vegetation.

According to a news release from the Durango Police Department’s Facebook page, 150 personnel and aircraft – including air attack teams, a Type 1 fire helicopter and multiple air tankers – were dispatched to the Elkhorn Fire. Ground crews are using hand tools and heavy equipment to build fire breaks, while aircraft are dropping water and slurry to slow the fire’s spread.

Helena Hotshots - an elite wildland fighting crew from Montana arrived to aid containment efforts at the Elkhorn fire around 6 p.m. Sunday.

An evacuation map for the Rim Road Fire. The green parts of the map is the area under mandatory evacuation notice. (Maps obtained from readylaplatacounty.org)
Randy Black, chief of Durango Fire Protection District, and Shawna Legarza, La Plata County director of Emergency Management, look over the Elkhorn Fire on Sunday. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)

A news release on the Southern Ute Indian Tribe Facebook page said the Rim Road Fire began Saturday afternoon near County Road 318 and Lenyx Lane. The tribe is coordinating with Los Pinos Fire, the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Indian Affairs Fire Management Division. Forty personnel are working to contain the fire, and fire suppressant drops by air tankers have improved conditions on the ground, the release said.

Kathi Arnold, who was evacuated Saturday on County Road 318, said she has since been able return. After watching Saturday’s fire behavior, she wasn’t sure her house would make it. But, she said, firefighters responded remarkably quickly.

The remains of a home that caught fire Saturday and spread to the surrounding wildland, starting the Elkhorn Fire on Missionary Ridge north of Durango. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)

“Watching the fire coming over the hill and spreading so fast with the wind and everything else, I had no real deep hopes that my house was going to be able to make it,” Arnold said. “But my house is just on a different ridge, and they were so on it so fast that it stayed on that side of the hill. They’ve done a magnificent job.”

Residents near County Road 318 have been notified of the situation, though there is no evacuation order. Most residents have chosen to remain in their homes, the release said.

This is a developing story. Check back with www.durangoherald.com for updates.

sedmondson@durangoherald.com

The Elkhorn Fire glows Saturday night northeast of Hermosa in the Animas Valley north of Durango. (Courtesy of Michael Risley)


Show Comments