The Ferris Fire swept through Dolores River Canyon Friday afternoon, an outcome firefighters both feared and anticipated as the blaze 15 miles northwest of Dolores encroached on the narrow gap bordering residences.
Keith Keesling, emergency manager for Dolores County, said about a dozen homes on the west side of the canyon were issued evacuation orders. Keesling said there are about 30 homes to the south of the evacuation area under pre-evacuation orders. Glade Ranch residents, most of whom don’t live in those homes year-round, were issued evacuation orders Saturday.
Evacuated residents were directed to Pleasant View Fire Department to seek shelter.
As of Friday afternoon, the Ferris Fire, ignited by a series of lightning strikes Saturday, had scorched 33,248 acres, continuing a push northward parallel to Forest Service Road 240, said Abraham Proffitt, spokesperson for the San Juan National Forest. The fire broke through the Dolores River Canyon, spreading across the west side, presenting a barrier for crews working to beat back the blaze.
“We can’t put firefighters in the canyon and we can’t have aircraft flying into the canyon either. They have to stay above that,” Proffitt said. “It makes it very challenging to fight the fire when it’s in the canyon.”
On Friday afternoon, firefighters were assisting with evacuations and working to set up a perimeter on the west side of the canyon where the fire had broken through. Meanwhile, two “Super Scooper” aircraft, gathering water from McPhee Reservoir, were making water and fire retardant drops on the north and east edges of the fire, Proffitt said.
The drops are intended to create fire breaks in case the blaze continues in those directions, he said.
The surrounding area of Benchmark Lookout Tower, which functions as a private home and fire lookout near the northeast end of the fire, has been doused in fire retardant to protect it from a push north, Proffitt said. According to a Facebook post on the official Ferris Fire Information Page, the fire appeared to have avoided the structure as of Friday afternoon.
avanderveen@the-journal.com
