A large slash pile caught fire near Oxford and Durango-La Plata County Airport early Monday.

The Los Pinos Fire Protection District responded to the fire at a privately owned slash pile about 1 a.m. near the intersection of County Road 311 and Colorado Highway 172. Smoke remained visible in the area Monday afternoon and will likely continue to be visible over the next few days, said Tony Harwig, Los Pinos fire chief.

“It was a 100-foot by 100-foot slash pile on fire with big round tree stumps and no one around – way too big to put out,” Harwig said.

The cause of the fire is unknown, and no structures or nearby trees are threatened, Harwig said.

Los Pinos Fire crews created a fire line around the pile as a precaution Monday. Water tender trucks from Upper Pine and Durango fire protection districts briefly assisted in the early morning.

The homeowner will use tractors to break apart the fire and continue monitoring the area with assistance from Los Pinos as needed, Harwig said.

The Ignacio area is expected to see a slight chance of thunderstorms this week with temperatures reaching the mid-90s, according to the National Weather Service.

The Southern Ute Indian Tribe, La Plata County, Archuleta County and the San Juan National Forest have Stage 1 fire restrictions in effect.

The Southern Ute fire restrictions prohibit open burning, agricultural burning, campfires and fireworks.

La Plata County prohibited open burning, use of explosive material, use of any internal combustion engine and floating sky lanterns, with some exceptions. Limited activities include smoking, welding and flaring for oil and gas production wells.

smullane@durangoherald.com