The San Juan National Forest has reduced the Stoner Mesa Fire closure area, officials said Saturday, citing decreased fire activity and substantial progress by firefighting crews, and officials lifted a preevacuation order.
The updated order reopens forest roads and trails north of the fire, which now covers 10,249 acres and is 44% contained, according to a news release from San Juan National Forest Team 8, led by Incident Commander Brad Pietruszka.
The preevacuation order had been issued in July. It included County Road 38 from Colorado Highway 145 to the county line, including addresses from 26217 to 28960. For full details, see the order at https://tinyurl.com/RevisedSNFClosure.
The news release followed progress Friday, when firefighters completed the primary containment line on the western edge of the blaze. A Hotshot crew and a Type 2 hand crew cleared a milelong section from Taylor Mesa to Stoner Creek.
Operations Section Chief Nielsen highlighted the progress during his Saturday morning update.
“Probably our biggest success was we have completed our primary containment line from Stoner Creek into Taylor Mesa, so that means with the line on the Stoner Mesa into Taylor Mesa we have full control line around the indirect control around the fire,” he said.
“The fire really hasn't moved,” he said. “There has been ... no threats to the containment lines for the past few days and we anticipate that to continue for the next few days into the coming weeks.”
Nielsen also provided updates on crew activities.
He said a crew was “spiked out or, you know, camped out very remotely” in the western, Division X, where they continued mop-up and patrol operations and finished a secondary line.
In the southeast corner, “all the smokes we found were more than 150 feet off the line,” which Nielsen called “a really good thing,” showing stable containment.
Crews on patrol extinguished three hot spots inside the perimeter near the southern containment line on Taylor Mesa, the news release said. Structure-protection crews were removing pumps, tanks and sprinkler systems from sections of County Road 38 that were no longer under threat. Rainfall Friday afternoon aided their efforts.
With 335 personnel now assigned to the Stoner Mesa Fire, Saturday’s mission included continued efforts to secure and mitigate the fire’s impact. Firefighters with the Black Hills Wildfire Module were cutting hazard trees and clearing brush along a secondary fire line on Stoner Mesa, near Stoner. Patrols will ensure the fire remains inside the perimeter.
In addition to removing structure-protection equipment, crews will chip tree limbs and other debris along the containment line on Taylor Mesa. Repair work has begun on fire line just off the contained eastern edge to reduce soil erosion.
The lightning-caused fire was reported July 28. Smoke may still be visible as pockets burn inside the perimeter.
A temporary flight restriction remains over the fire area. Officials emphasized that private aircraft, including drones, are strictly prohibited.
“If you fly, we can’t,” the news release said.
