A pre-evacuation notice for 25 structures in southwest La Plata County, where a 530-acre wildfire has entered its second week, was lifted Monday.
The Ute 63 Fire was 34% contained as of Tuesday, according to the Interagency Fire Center and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The fire was first reported July 13 in a remote part of the county about 7 miles southwest of Redmesa near Morgan Canyon. It was burning mostly on Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute lands.
More than 345 firefighters and support personnel were assigned to the fire at its largest. The number of firefighters and personnel decreased to 311 as of Tuesday, following successful containment efforts. An Interagency Hotshot Crew has also been dispatched to work the fire’s northern edge in Morgan Canyon, with other crews assigned to extend water systems along the fire’s southern edge.
Other resources included dozers, helicopters and air tankers.
Firefighters were concerned about the fire’s advance toward La Plata Highway (Colorado Highway 140) just north of the New Mexico state line. It was in that area that a pre-evacuation notice was issued for 25 structures on July 16.
Since then, the fire’s spread has slowed considerably.
Crews have been working at night to uncover hot spots – which are more visible at dusk – and are patrolling structures along La Plata Highway to prevent spotting or further spread, according to a U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs news release. On Monday, Air Operations deployed an Unmanned Aircraft System, which charts infrared hot spots across a large area.
The release described more favorable weather conditions on the horizon, with cooler temperatures, higher humidity and a chance of rain expected in the burn area.
Repair crews are reportedly also working on restoration efforts on roads damaged by fire suppression measures.
Residents near the fire zone can keep up to date on evacuation notices by texting “LPCOEM” to 99411 or visiting http://www.readylaplata.org.
La Plata County remained under Stage 1 fire restrictions as of Tuesday.
epond@durangoherald.com
