Efforts to strengthen containment lines on the Ferris Fire continue Monday as firefighters and personnel brace for hot and dry conditions and possible high winds and dry lightening from distant thunderstorms.
As of Monday, the fire had burned more than 47,000 acres and was 21% contained, up from 7% on Sunday. It still burns primarily on Bureau of Land Management land with limited activity on private property. No structures were reported to have been destroyed by the blaze.
A total of 539 firefighters and other personnel were assigned to the fire, with that number expected to grow. A new team is taking over the fire’s management Tuesday morning, when San Juan Team 8 Type 3 Management Team hands over management to a Complex Incident Management Team from California. A fire update from San Juan Team 8 said the new team will bring additional resources and logistical support.
“The San Juan Team 8 management team is done after tonight, but we are staying together as a team,” San Juan Team 8 spokesman Andy Lyon told The Journal on Monday. “If we do get a new fire or two, we’re going to go back out and respond and help organize the response to those new fires. It’s not like we’re going away.”
Areas in “Go – evacuate now” status include Glade Ranch in Zone 1, Ryman Creek in Zone 2, Zone 7, Zone 8 and Zone 10, which includes County Road 15 east to Canyon Rim. “Get Set” zones include 5 and 3, and “Get Ready to evacuate” include Groundhog in Zone 4, Zone 9 and Zone 12.
An interactive evacuation map is available online at https://tinyurl.com/FerrisFireEvacMap.
Forecast dry lightening is also a concern for crews at the beginning of this week.
“You never how much lightning and where you’re going to get it until you get it, but it certainly is a big concern,” Lyon said. “The main concern is that we get a new fire somewhere else on the forest or in the desert while we’re already dealing with one big fire … we’re not expected to get any rain out of these and, all of a sudden, we could have a second, even a third fire somewhere else in the area, which means we have to divert resources to deal with that. It’s a big concern today and tomorrow (Monday and Tuesday).”
On Sunday, crews on the north and west flanks of the fire used strategic burns to widen dozer lines and clear vegetation with the goal of shielding homes and infrastructure, the San Juan Team 8 fire update shared. On the west rim of the Dolores River Canyon, firefighters secured lines with dozers and burnout operations from Road M. 9 to the Dolores River Canyon Overlook. In Division A, the fire crossed National Forest Service Road 270 but has not reached the fire line at the National Forest Service Road 504.
Aircraft assigned to the fire – helicopters, Super Scoopers and tankers – dropped 142,000 gallons of water and fire retardant on the blaze, and heavy smoke was credited with helping limit the spread in some areas.
On Monday, as the fire advances southwest in Cabin Canyon, crews have constructed indirect fire lines in Division O, above the evacuation area in Zone 10. They are also building direct and indirect lines around Forest Road 240 to protect the Glade Ranch subdivision and other nearby private lands.
Crews prepared log decks with dozers for burnout operations in Division A, if conditions allow, and are working to strengthen lines in Division Z with the goals of reaching patrol status by Tuesday.
To prepare for potential spread from a side canyon between County Road P and M. 9, line improvements and structure protection are the focus for Divisions O, J and C. The release warned that residents in Division J may experience disruptions in power.
A temporary flight restriction is still in place over the fire and McPhee Reservoir, prohibiting private aircraft and drones from flying while aircraft focused on fire mitigation and water resources.
bduran@the-journal.com
